Abeokuta – Former President  Olusegun Obasanjo has stressed the need for collaborative effort among African countries for the development of  the region.

Obasanjo made the remark on Sunday  at his Otta residence in Ogun, while receiving President Francois Bozize of the Central Africa Republic, who paid him a courtesy call.

He said that the pooling of ideas and resources by African countries would enable them to tackle the myriads of socio-economic challenges facing them and enhance their capacity to compete favourably with developed countries.

He urged African leaders to learn from one another to avoid the mistakes of the past and to consider challenges in any part of the region as collective problems which must be resolved collectively.

He said he could not lift his head in pride as long as any African nation or people continued to suffer, urging African leaders to consider challenges in one African nation as challenges of the entire region.

Obasanjo, who was in the Central Africa Republic earlier in the year, told Bozize that he took note of the challenges of the nation and pledged his support towards the development of the country.

The former Nigerian President opined that the responsibility of any Nigerian leader extended beyond the borders of Nigeria.

Earlier,  Bozize, who  described Nigeria as the most successful and populous country in Africa, noted that no other African country could succeed without strengthening its relationship with Nigeria.

Bozize who was re-elected as CAR President in February, said he was in Nigeria to resuscitate  the cordial relationship that once existed  between Nigeria and CAR.

The CAR President who described Obasanjo as a pillar in Africa, said he believed he could  count on the influence of the former Nigerian President to facilitate the restoration of a cordial relationship between the two countries.

Bozize, who was on an official visit to Nigeria, said he had earlier met with President Goodluck Jonathan to discuss the challenges of his country with him.

He described his meeting with Jonathan as fruitful, stressing that many areas of bilateral relationship between the two countries had been identified.

The President, who described CAR as virgin land, expressed his desire for Nigerian investors to take advantage of investment opportunities in his country.

Also speaking at the occasion, Gov Sen. Ibikunle Amosun,  said that that the African continent might  not experience meaningful development until there was strong collaboration and partnership among the member countries.

Amosun expressed regret that the relationship between African countries and Europe far outweighed that which existed among African countries, describing such development as detrimental to the progress of the continent.

He said that such brotherly visit would offer opportunities for African leaders to have a heart-to-heart discussion, exchange ideas and enhance mutual relationship among them. (NAN)