I’m often told by people that Africa’s problems are down to its bad governments.
In countries like the UK, Australia and Canada, this is usually used as an excuse not to do anything.
My African friends take a different view – for them, it is the THE reason to do something.
Chaired by former UN Secretary-General, it’s a wide-ranging report that slams Africa’s leaders and elites for failing to capitalise upon opportunities over the last decade to make more progress for their people.
It argues that “Africa’s development and the welfare of its people depend above all upon the political commitment and capacity of its leaders”
The report expresses a sentiment that’s captured perfectly in a story in Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail recently: It’s a Friday morning in the plush chambers of the Pan-African Parliament, and the members have just finished a brief discussion of the war in Somalia. Now they turn to an issue that really excites them: a promotional video about themselves.
The debate becomes hot and furious, with much table-thumping. The parliamentarians spend twice as much time battling over the video as they spent on the Somalia war. Are there too many shots of African wildlife in the video? Not enough footage of their early days? Should the music be improved? Is the voiceover too monotonous?
As we sit on the other side of the world, it’s a timely reminder that success in the fight against poverty isn’t driven by us – it’s driven by those on the ground, supported by their governments and enabled by business.
There’s much still to be done, but there’s also signs of hope and progress.
The Globe article argues that:
“Several countries – including Ghana, Tanzania, Botswana, Liberia, Malawi and Mauritius – are winning praise for their democratic elections, their increasing stability, or their efforts to tackle corruption. Ghana has been one of the most successful, holding a series of free and fair elections whose results are accepted by all sides.”
And the Africa Progress Panel report notes:
“African governments have also shown a growing willingness to sign up to, and in some cases implement, good-governance initiatives. By early 2010, 30 countries had acceded to NEPAD’s African Peer Review Mechanism, 12 had been peer reviewed and 16 had launched the process by receiving support missions; 44 countries had signed, and 31 had ratified, the African Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption; 20 African countries had been accepted as candidates in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and were waiting to be validated as compliant countries with Liberia already having reached that status. At the same time, Africa’s international partners, particularly the United States, Germany and Switzerland, have also made great headway in controlling corruptive practices of their companies operating on the continent.”
Improving governance will continue to be a major challenge as we look at the role we can play in reducing poverty. But, with reports like these, and a commitment from people on the ground, we’re seeing that slow progress can be made. |
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