This morning will witness the culmination of the Africa-South America Summit which started on

November 26 with technical and ministerial sessions. Today is the summit proper of the Heads of State and Government of the two regions. This is the first ever summit of the two brotherly continents and it is most welcome at a time when the challenge for global cooperation on a number of issues is urgently needed. The summit, which is expected to adopt a plan of action on strategic issues of mutual interest like trade and energy, would also review the current international situation and shared concerns about it. However, this summit which brings the two continents directly together also provides the opportunity for greater appreciation of each other.

The South American countries in the past decade or so have charted a course of different models of economic development after they had earlier implemented economic reform policy mostly inspired by the trio of the US treasury, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, otherwise called the Washington Consensus, because of their location in the capital of the United States of America. In spite of the modest success the countries of the region recorded in the neo-liberal economic reform, social exclusion and economic marginalisation of the majority of the people had remained very conspicuous, irrespective of the competitive electoral process. For most of the 1980s and early 1990s, the region witnessed a plethora of social protests with some bourgeoning into armed conflicts. Democracy without economic empowerment remains largely meaningless for the majority of the people of the region.

From the largest countries in the region - Brazil and Argentina - to medium-sized ones like Venezuela, Chile and small ones like Bolivia, Ecuador, etc., the story of neo-liberal economic reform has been the same - social exclusion and rising political conflict. After Argentina and Brazil particularly suffered enormous crises with the former having difficulty on its debt and the latter witnessing massive capital flight leading to the collapse of its currency - the peso - things began to steer up in the hemisphere.

In 1998, the election of Mr Hugo Chavez in the oil-rich Venezuela instigated a region-wide search for an alternative economic model. One by one, from Brazil to Argentina, Bolivia to Chile, centre-left parties were ushered into office through democratic election from one country to the other. The new governments boldly repudiated the economic neo-liberalism of the Washington Consensus and in its place instituted social and economic policies that accommodated the fact of socio-economic marginalisation of the majority of the people.

Short of population and economic nationalism that was once the feature in the region, especially during the era of military dictatorship, the new governments combined sound economic policies of achieving fiscal and macro stability, with generous social policy that addresses the longstanding issues of poverty, unemployment, healthcare and other service delivery. The result is that the region is currently experiencing stability and political order marked by social inclusion and integration.

Interestingly, the shift to the current governments in the region has been through the democratic process where free and fair elections have given the people the opportunities to change their leadership. This is an important lesson for Africa, which is that the people or more specifically the voters must at all times be allowed a preference in any political tendency they so wish through a democratic election that is free from manipulation.

Had the previous governments in the region run by the traditional liberal parties shut out their centre-left rivals through election rigging and other manipulation, perhaps the region wouldn't have witnessed a peaceful transition to the new economic model that puts the people first in the region. While this transition of enormous political and economic significance in South America will not be on the summit agenda of this first Africa and South America summit, we urge African leaders to pay attention to it, especially in accepting that in issues of economic development, there are usually two or more sides. And more importantly, parties in power, irrespective of their commitment to ideas of economic development, must yield to the superior wishes of the electorate and must be ready to quit office if the voters decide so.

We are very enthusiastic over the momentous occasion of this summit and suggest that a mechanism should be devised to institute it on a permanent basis, so that the two continents will exchange ideas and views in the spirit of South-South cooperation. We also suggest that the declarations or plans of action adopted should never be showpiece of political grand standing, but practical guide to active interactions of the two sides in the interest of our two diverse peoples.

Finally, we welcome the esteemed delegates from the Americas and other African countries and wish them fruitful deliberation in this epoch-making summit.