Obi Aiele
1 September 2007
analysis
Lagos — At 72 most of his peers are homeward bound with creeping thoughts of life beyond, yet this septuagenarian, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, is still shuttling round the continent preaching his gospel of business emancipation to African presidents, with so much vigor that is the envy of his generation. Repots OBI ADIELE.
Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, president of the African Business Round Table (ART), is a fixed face at the African Union (AU) meetings of Heads of State, and enjoys the warm relationships with African presidents. Yet, he is still sad and tells you why: the underdevelopment of business in Africa.
He tells you "God, in His wisdom, categorized us into a race, and found ourselves situated in a particular part of the globe with a particular skin colour and God influenced us according to our abilities to take advantage of our opportunities".
Alhaji Tukur thinks God gave us identity for a purpose, since no one is contesting about our African origin. We still have identity of the black race, even when we were taken away as slaves to other parts of the world to contribute to their development.
Talking more like a preacher, Tukur explained that we are distinguished among God's creation, and that led to the scramble and partition for African by the Europeans, even when they have their own continent
He explained further: "We are so much endowed with huge resources. Today sixty percent of industrial nation's raw materials come from Africa. We produce the materials, they do the transformation via technology of what God has given us. Yet we are the most disadvantaged because of the intense interest of non-Africans in Africa, thus causing divisions and conflicts.
"The Chinese are now coming to Africa, Europe and the United States are apprehensive. All these diverse interests bring along competing conflicts because of their desire to own and control".
Undoubtedly, Alhaji Tukur, has single handedly driven the development of borderless business trade in Africa, bringing African businessmen together for a common purpose despite divergent induced interests competing for the soul of African business.
Using the African Round Table business platform (actually created by the African Development Bank) to propagate his vision, Alhaji Tukur, has touched base with almost all African Presidents, nudging them all to implement borderless business practices across the entire continent.
Just at the recent AU Heads of States conference held in Accra Ghana, he took the floor to remind them of their earlier pledges to free African business from the shackles of trade and currency restrictions.
He told them that the public sector in Africa cannot deliver desired business goals without active participation by the private sector. "I firmly believe, "he added", that in order to make Africa take its rightful position in global business, it needs to empower the private sector."
"I urge them", he continued, "to look critically at the protectionist practice adopted by the European Union to protect the business interest of its members while they come here and create trade disharmony for their own benefit".
He waxed stronger: "Africa needs to empower the private sector business to deliver promises for its teeming citizenry. In those advanced nations - Japan, America, Britain and others - it's the private sector that runs the economy not politicians.
"Africa is an endangered species, that's why at the last Accra meeting, some of us mooted behind the scene of the coming together of African countries into one defacto union. "It is an idea that will never die."
He continued: "I know the leaders are afraid of losing their sovereignty. Are they really sovereign? Are we not appendages of some European, American and other foreign interest?
So, I told them: "for starters, retain your sovereignty, but we will create a Defacto Union, open up your borders genuinely for business with your black brothers across the continent, open up infrastructures, road networks, easy telecommunications, bridges, for example: from Lagos to Da-esalam, onto Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, let there be free movement of goods and services, create mobile employment across the continent and make friends".
Coming back near home, he asserts: "the idea of Transcorp is mine. I wrote the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to set up a business institution that will impact positively on the African continent. And I met with President Umar Yar'adua recently; he assured me he would address the economy and follow the law. I believe him".
Is there no symbiotic relationship between the African political leadership? Leadership and the growth of a borderless African economy, the reporter asked him "Yes, definitely, the political leadership is a problem. The fear of losing control is real".
The political leadership issue is tied invariably to the apron strings of vested foreign interests who are not comfortable with a strong borderless Africa business entity. We also focus on unifying into one system the different public and private sector business practices through my chairmanship of NEPAD BUSINESS GROUP. Who is funding the African business Round table project? "Nobody", he answered: it is self funded, unlike what obtains in the advanced nations we are busy copying. "In America, we have corporate council on Africa funded by USAID, in Europe, we have business council on Africa funded by DIFID, even in France, the CIAN GROUP is funded by the French government. But in Africa, the ART. of which am the executive chairman, is not funded by any African government nor its agencies".
He added further: "Rather, I use my own resources to further African business interests. I set up a firm, ecomarine in Togo to distribute goods to all parts of Africa and the President gave my shipping line a national carrier status". We are addressing the political issue, if we must progress economically, we need accountable leadership and a good responsible followership.
"If you look at the first generation African political leadership, you will see so much patriotism devoid of unnecessary vested foreign interests: Zik / Balewa government, Kwame Nkurumah of Ghana, Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Nyerere of Tanzania, are empirical examples. " Coups are influenced from outside due to intense outside interest that wants to destroy us. They have to eliminate those acceptable to us and bring in those not accountable and do business with them. So, we now have poor followership because our next set of generational leaders were not accountable to them"
Any change in perception from today's political leaders in the continent, the reporter asked "Yes, there are noticeable changes, it's a gradual process, they are now persuaded on the need to see that a private sector driven integrated African business revival, is a solution to deliver political promises made on the podium for this African business ambassador, African presidents and world's institutions have been eager to honour him. In January 2002, Alhaji Tukur was conferred with national honour of the Commander of the Order of the Mono by the late President Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo, in recognition of his contribution to business in Africa. In July, same year Ghana's President John Kuffor, appointed Alhaji Tukur, a member of Ghana Investors Advisory Council. In September 2003, he was appointed a member of the OECD-AFRICAN INVESTMENT ADVISORY BOARD in Geneva Switzerland few months later ex- President Obasanjo conferred CON on him. President Laurent Gbagbo of Cote D'ivoire did not want to be left out as he conferred the national title of the Commander of the Order of Niger on Alhaji Tukur for his efforts in private sector development in the continent.
Equally, world renowned agencies have not left out in honoring this business face of Africa. In March 2004, the International Business for Africa organization, Ghana (IBCA) honored Alhaji Tukur with the African Diamond Award for excellent achievement in private sector development. Two months later, he was awarded the Kofi Anan leadership award in London for his achievement in private sector business development in Africa.
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