Office of Tony Colman MP, House of Commons
Tony Colman
12 February 2002
opinion
London — At the time I was living in Africa, in the late sixties, the atmosphere was one of post independence optimism. Over the last thirty-five years this optimism has gradually been replaced by disillusionment and disappointment, regret and recriminations.
And little wonder when Sub-Saharan Africa's average per capita income today is actually less than it was at the end of the 1960s. While many parts of the world have felt the benefits of globalisation and trade, too many African countries remain economically and politically marginalised and too many of its people remain locked in a cycle of poverty.
The most significant lesson we must learn from the past few decades of African experience is straightforward but fundamental: development will not come to Africa through policies dreamt up in western think tanks and universities, it must come from within, it must be designed and supported by African people themselves. Development for the people, by the people.
It is for this reason that the creation of the African Union and the New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) causes my optimism of the sixties to be reborn. The key to development is fair trade and with only a 2% share, Africa has been on the periphery of global trading for too long. South-South trading or more specifically intra-African trade has the potential to spur on economic development. In this way, the African Union has the potential to bring economic integration, and eventually prosperity, to its member states.
African Unity for Development
The pioneering experience of the European Union can be used to Africa's advantage. Europe's development has been assisted by the removal of trade barriers between member states. Yet as a trade block, the union has very few benefits to offer outsiders: it is, in effect, a club for mutual advancement, to the exclusion of others. Talk of global free trade is never likely to be a true reflection of reality and the African Union offers the continent a chance to develop its existing trade blocks such as SADC and ECOWAS for the benefit of all African countries. As President Obasanjo of Nigeria has pointed out intra-continental trade relations must be energetically reshaped. ECOWAS' initial attempts at regional trade liberalization have already begun to bear the fruits of success. Increasing trade within the African Union must be a top priority for the new organisation.
Also, like the EU, the AU will be looking towards a single currency as a stabilising and trade facilitating economic measure. This may be some way off but it is important and must be worked towards. The question of feasibility can be addressed by learning from the experience of Francophone African countries who have spent years linked to the French Franc and now have links to the Euro.
Economic Partnership for development
NEPAD is more than a symbol. It is a realisation, of the political will now present in Africa, to take the developmental bull by the horns and to do so with a homegrown and integrated strategy. The ideas that make up NEPAD are not revolutionary; on the contrary, the plan is an amalgamation of existing best practices.
In essence NEPAD is a pan African pact, an integrated development strategy.
While African governments are making serious commitments to good governance criteria, which are in effect a precondition to economic growth. As a mirror undertaking, the international community is asked to ensure fairer terms of trade and market access for Africa's exports, continued support for debt relief and the streamlining of aid flows to minimise transaction costs and increase efficiency.
With its roots in African experience, the strategy cannot fail to take into account the single most formidable obstacle to the continent's development: war. Indeed 20% of Africa's people live under conditions of conflict.
Over the last 40 years eight million Africans have been killed in war. It is pure initiative, hard work and courage that enables people living in conflict situations to sustain themselves and their families. Economic and social development cannot be expected to spring from the remains of destroyed physical, human and social capital. War economies too often work in opposition to legitimate trade and commerce. Fragile peace agreements require international backing for demobilisation, reintegration and reconstruction programmes. Post-conflict reconstruction may well be the most pressing task for the next generation of African developmentalists.
And it is vital that the international community provide the necessary resources and support to assist in these efforts.
Peace and security is a pre-condition to development. Investors want stability, legitimate trade requires stability, the development of national systems of taxation require stability. The people of Africa need peace. The International community has a responsibility to assist in these matters. We failed in Somalia and the effects of our lack of action in Rwanda still haunt many decision makers in the UN and across the world. However, on his recent visit to West Africa, Tony Blair made clear that the UK is dedicated to assisting the African recovery and British involvement in Sierra Leone is an expression of the high level of commitment.
The NEPAD implementation committee had their first meeting in January and before its next meeting a positive outcome from the UN Financing for Development conference would add to NEPAD's existing momentum. The EU plans to take up the corruption and governance issues identified by the implementation committee in May this year and in September the World Summit on Sustainable Development will offer more opportunities for progress.
There are, of course a number of procedural aspects, which need to be ironed out. In particular, NEPAD needs to be developed with input from African civil society organisations and research institutions.
We must also ensure that agreements already made are implemented. The progress in Doha made by developing country WTO members should be a sign of things to come and many western countries need to start practicing what they preach in terms of open and fair trade relations. Every breakout group in Doha was chaired by developing country representatives and it is this increase in strength of representation and voice that will take both the African Union and its individual member states forward in terms of renegotiating international terms of trade, to halt Africa's increasing marginalisation.
It is engagement in these processes and strong leadership that will integrate Africa into the world trading system. In his recent speech to the Nigerian National Assembly, Tony Blair spoke of a 'sense of possibilities' that is coming from Africa today, as strong leaders unite to bring their people back into global trade and out of the sidelines of stagnation.
While I would not attempt to raise Pan-African policies from the dead, what is certain is the need for a united Africa. It is this unity that will reinforce the 'sense of possibilities' now being talked about, it is integration that will bring stability to the continent. It is engagement that will bring opportunities to African entrepreneurs. It is African ownership of the development process that will bring economic, social and institutional development to the 600 million people of Africa.(ADF3)
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