Nigeria Head Of State General Yakubu Gowon Giving A Speech At A 3 Day O.A.U. Meeting In Lagos

It was attended by the Trade Ministers from African Countries together with observers from three Caribbean States.
They agreed on a joint position in advance of a conference scheduled to be held with the enlarged nine-nation EEC later on that month.
The main split had been between the French-speaking African states who already had links with the EEC and the Commonwealth African States who had been offered them following Britain's joining of the Community at the beginning of 1973.
The Commonwealth countries were against trade concessions by Africa -- the so-called reverse-preference system -- and their views prevailed, partly, according to some delegates, because the EEC itself no longer appears to be insisting on reverse preferences.
The Ministers designated Nigerian Trade Commissioner Wenike Briggs to act as their spokesman at the conference with the EEC which was scheduled to be held in Brussels on July 25.

Speech by General Gowon:
"On behalf of the Government and people of Nigeria, as well as in the name of the Organisation of african Unity, I welcome you to Nigeria for this Trade Ministerial Conference of the Organisation of African Unity.
"Nigeria feels highly honoured with the presence of such high level and distinguished delegates from Africa and other parts of the world at this very important conference.
"At this stage your deliberations will be primarily concerned with articulating the means for the concerted efforts of Africa in defining and ordering the pattern of the Continent's relations with what has recently emerged as a major economic region of the world, namely the enlarged European Economic Community.
"Africa has now adopted a set of basic principles and norms which should guide your deliberations. These principles have been carefully conceived and devised to provide the negotiating framework for regulating Africa's relationship with other economic and trade groupings in the world, particularly Europe, while fostering co-operation and solidarity among African states themselves and other developing countries of the world.
"We thus have a clear and realistic definition of African consensus on which to develop our common approach on the issues which will be engaging the attention of this conference."
+
July 1973
+
====== SUPPORT THE CHANNEL ======
Cash App: https://cash.app/$MyBlackPlanet
Website: https://myblackplanet.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/myblackplanet2
Merch: https://my-black-planet.myspreadshop.com
+
#africa #nigerian #documentary