Leadership (Abuja)
28 April 2008
Africa must reduce the multiplicity of decision centres, 53 states, 53 ministers of finance, and interlocutors and integrate its development programmes for the continent to achieve meaningful development, the former World Bank President, James Wolfensohn, said at the weekend in Tunis.
Wolfensohn delivered the conference within the framework of the Bank Group's eminent speakers programme, attended by Diplomats, AfDB staff and top management led by the Bank President, Donald Kaberuka, on the theme, "Africa in a Global World: Partnerships for Success".
The exhaustive intellectual exchange was opened by Kaberuka who introduced the eminent speaker as the champion of the campaign "that made the World Bank to abandon old habits" that hindered corporate change and to "refocus attention on Africa ". He was the brain behind the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPCs) in the 1990s, which has helped many poor country reduce their external debts as well as the idea that member countries should claim ownership of the development process by working closely with the multilateral development institutions, making it possible to replace "conditionalities" with jointly prepared Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs).
Wolfensohn gave an overview of the current global economic situation, noting that there has been a fundamental change in the past 50 years that made it possible for less than 20 per cent of the global population to own 80 per cent of the world's income while the remaining 80 per cent of the population or 5 billion people depend on the remaining 20 per cent. If changes are made to correct this situation, these figures will come down from 80 per cent to 35 per cent and from 20 per cent to 65 per cent. Therefore, Wolfensohn explained, Africa , which gets 2.5 per cent of world income with projects that this could rise to 3 per cent, really has a lot of work to improve the situation.
Citing the Bank Group's independent high level panel report, the former World Bank Chief gave four conditions, among others, that Africa must fulfill to make progress: ensure peace and stability, improve the pace of economic reform and avoid slippages, build institutional capacity, and ensure good debt management. The rich world must help Africa to accomplish these prerequisites for economic growth and development.
The AfDB eminent speakers' programme was launched in 2006 by the AfDB to enable renowned personalities to share their knowledge of contemporary development issues facing Africa with bank management and staff, alongside development partners.
In 2007, third world-renowned experts discussed in Tunis key development issues for Africa under the Bank's Eminent Speakers' programme. In July 2007, Professor Paul Collier of Oxford University gave a talk on post conflict recovery.
Also in July, Sir Nicholas Stern of the London School of Economics addressed the problem of climate change. Finally, in September 2007, Mr. Abdou Diouf, Secretary General of the Francophonie and former President of Senegal , examined the role of regional integration.
Other renowned personalities who have taken part in the AfDB Eminent Speakers' Programme include: Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, first President of the Republic of Zambia; Calistous Juma, Professor, Harvard University, Boston; Michel Camdessus, former Managing Director of the IMF; Kingsley Y. Amoako, former UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of ECA; Benjamin W. Mkapa, former President of the Republic of Tanzani.
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