26 February 2002
editorial
The Group of Eight (G8), through its Action Plan Group is working out a programme of action aimed at pulling the African continent out of its severe poverty and widespread under development.
This was the major focus of a meeting G8 had with the steering committee of the New Partnership for Africa s Development (NEPAD), held in Cape Town, South Africa last week.
At the meeting, personal representatives of the presidents of the industrialised countries were present. Also, Mr. Michael Camdessus, former head of International Monetary Fund (IMF), and Baroness V. Amos, an under Secretary of State of the United Kingdom government were also present.
A challenge was thrown to African governments to adhere to democratic principles in their various countries to enable them benefit from the G8 programmes. African Leaders were also called upon to immediately see to the restoration of peace and security in their enclaves before they can reap from G8 action plan.
The G8 meeting in Cape Town, South Africa was the third in the series of discussions that is expected to produce programme of focus for G8 leaders in their next summit coming up in Kananaskis in Canada from June 26 to 28,2002.
Quite frankly, Africans owe themselves the responsibility of ensuring that democracy thrives in the continent. More importantly, an enabling environment of peace and reasonable security must be provided for its sustenance. But, the subordinate role African countries have been playing make this call for the understanding of the G8 inevitable in this regard.
A lot of upheavals in the continent have been traced to the colonially enforced marriage of convenience between unidentical people, secret condonment of bad African leaders by the developed countries and an undue harbouring of rebel groups in upstaging incumbents in the continent.Africa is also facing the problem of huge debt owed these developed economies, and which has tied the continent perpetually to the apron string of the advanced countries slavery.
Whatever action plan G8 may have for the continent, the group must first address some of these problems bedeviling the continent so that finding a panacea to its proviso of working out a durable democracy and lasting peace on the continent will be made easier.
At the 25th session of the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), days ago in Rome, Italy, President Obasanjo decried the alarming rate of poverty in the continent by declaring that: "currently, about 1.2 billion people, comprising 30 million Africans, are struggling to survive on less than $1 per day." This rampant poverty problem in Africa should ideally be addressed when the G8 meeting comes up by June, in Canada.
Vanguard calls for a sincere action plan from the stable of G8 so that peace, security and an enduring democratic culture can thrive in the continent.
[ADF3}
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2002 Vanguard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
