The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Katrina Manson
16 November 2009
African states must integrate immediately or some will not survive, Mo Ibrahim, who funds the world's biggest prize in support of leadership on the continent, said late on Saturday.
Ibrahim was speaking at the opening of a two-day event promoting good governance in Africa , which appears to have slipped following a spate of coups in the past two years.
"Some of our countries, and I'm really sorry to say this, are just not viable," the Sudanese mobile phone tycoon said.
"We need scale and we need that now -- not tomorrow, the next year or the year after."
Several overlapping regional groupings throughout the continent are trying to knit their economies closer together, but the pace and extent of integration is slower than hoped.
"Intra-African trade is 4-5 per cent of our international trade. Why? This is unacceptable, unviable, and people need to stand up and say this," Mr Ibrahim said.
"Who are we to think that we can have 53 tiny little countries and be ready to compete with China, India, Europe, the Americans? It is a fallacy."
The $5 million Ibrahim Prize, which has previously been awarded to outgoing presidents Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique and Festus Mogae of Botswana, was not awarded this year.
Photo Essay:
Judges led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said although there were some credible candidates, they would not make an award. They did not explain why.
Mr John Kufuor of Ghana, Mr Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Mr Thabo Mbeki of South Africa were among the eligible candidates, all of whom stepped down of their own accord -- a key condition.
"We are poor, we are hungry, we are going without," said Ibrahim. "Something is drastically wrong. I think we have the right to ask our leaders: are they really serious?" he told an audience that included President Jakaya Kikwete.
Celebrities including Senegalese singer Youssou N'dour and Beninois poverty activist Angelique Kidjo performed during the evening, saying leaders needed to do more.
Former Sudanese child soldier and hip hop artist Emmanuel Jal called for greater vision and compassion.
"So many people died that we don't even cry any more," he said in a performance that spoke of his experiences with Kalashnikovs and brought many in the audience to tears.
"To be a president in Africa , it's like you're going to be a big man, because they take all the money. You need a leader that's going to say no to corruption,"he told Reuters after leaving the stage. "When there's no vision, people perish."
Discussion panels on Sunday with several African leaders will address climate change, food security and economic integration, which the Mo Ibrahim Foundation says require Africa's urgent attention.
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I have been raising the issue of "intellectual leaders" in the ongoing debate. To achieve a better integration, or expanding trade,or to dream of viable states, we must have educated leaders who understand these issues. Everytime someone speaks of education, others take it as an insult. How do we expect to modernize Africa if our leaders are still the least educated in the world. Let,s stop been dum folks, and accept the fact that we need intellectual leaders at the top of all our nations first,and now.(Please read prezedu.blogspot.com)
Once again Mr. Ibrahim has said it like it is. It is foolishness to think that any one country, I don't care which one, South Africa? Egypt? Nigeria or who? can lift it's people out of poverty and develop like the rest of the world when regional trade is only 4-5%.
We the ordinary people of this continent have to rise up and fight the forces of disintegration and take our destiny into our own hands. The politicians have hijacked our homelands and rendered millions hopeless.
Thank you Mr. Ibrahim for saying what is soo obvious!
There are many ways to increase the viability of African countries, and there are ongoing efforts continent wide to do many of them. They need expansion and support.
The most neglected is the never ending job of clearing your waters of aquatic weeds. These weeds are sucking up the water you need for your farms and selves. They silt up your lakes until they are useless and dry. If you clear them, dredging the silt that they have left for use as soil conditioner or to fight erosion, you will experience great improvements in your water supply as well as reduction of flooding damage, malaria, bilharzia and quelea. The weeds are all biomass, some of it edible. At a small cost compared to a day's food imports, equipment could be obtained to identify the part fit for human consumption, and a serious harvest collected. What isn't fit for human consumption can be made into fuel in several ways.
Reforestation and ending deforestation- Keep up the good work and expand on it. Farming with trees, too.
Gardening, urban and rural has been providing many excellent examples of increased viability. Worldwide, we need to incorporate gardening into children's education.
Your nations need to revise land ownership laws so as to prevent the recolonization of your land, but also to give the working people the right to real land ownership. Otherwise, people cannot afford to make improvements on their land. Do it carefully, to avoid another Mau fiasco.
Develop your oil slowly, for your own use and not export. Insist that the world kick its oil addiction before all of it is gone.
Develop your solar, wind and geothermal power sources. Make your various wastes into biofuels.
Of the above efforts, only developing geothermal needs much outside help. You really can do it yourselves, using your own labor.
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What can you do ? - Donate to the projects. - Become a member of [ livinginblack.com] - Use your own God-given initiative to guide your will to help. - [ http://livinginblack.ning.com/forum/topics/building-our-own-global ]
Their will be an exodus of nations leaving America ; returning to their ancestral homes e.g. Black Africans to nations like Ghana, Sierra Leone, etc…] [ .Get out of New Babylon America !!! ]
[Jeremiah, chapter 50 : 16 16: Cut off the sower from Babylon ;and him that handles the sickle in the time of harvest .For fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
WAKE UP !!! STAY UP !!!
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Life Is A Game. Have Fun . Luke 18:17 - Isaiah 11:6
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