Washington DC — Addressing head-on the common perception that Africa is hopelessly mired in poverty and strife, the top official of the International Monetary Fund says that Africa has the capacity to solve its problems.
In a speech that opened the Africa Forum 2000 in Washington DC, IMF Managing Director Horst Kohler said Africa can solve its "homemade" problems of corruption and conflict. But he linked the ability to do so to "faster, stronger and better institutional support" from the world community. To obtain that support, however, African nations must put into place the framework of good governance, fair and accessible judicial systems, a consistent and transparent regulatory framework and, most of all, a commitment to private sector development, Kohler said.
He acknowledged the "downside elements of globalization" and said they must be addressed, but he insisted that unless Africa is integrated into the global community in a considered and sequenced approach, the continent will not be able to achieve sustainable growth.
"We should not think Africa is lost," Kohler said. After visiting six African nations in July, he found many reasons to be hopeful, among them the initiatives of women. Despite formidable challenges he said, women "still worked productively. They tried to solve problems. They didn't complain. They worked." Even managing directors of international institutions need encouragement now and then, Kohler said, and he found it among Africa's women.
The IMF chief said he is returning to Africa in February with World Bank President James Wolfensohn. The visits, and the increasing attention the sister organizations will be paying to African poverty issues, he said, show that "there is commitment on our side."
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Joining Kohler in cutting the ribbon that formally opened the conference was Sue Esserman, the Deputy US Trade Representative, who read a statement by President Bill Clinton. Strengthening the American partnership with Africa has been one of the administration's top priorities, the statement said.
The Forum is a five-day gathering sponsored by the World Bank Group-IMF Africa Club, an association of African and Africa-interested staff of the international financial organizations. Forum Coordinator Eric Chinje told journalists, dignitaries and conference participants at the opening ceremonies that the event is designed to support African economies by providing multiple platforms for sharing information on critical issues, including trade, procurement, investment and funding.
The Club scheduled Forum sessions on a range of issues including information technology, infrastructure, energy, agribusiness, and health and pharmaceuticals. In response to Africa's one-dimensional media image - as well as the economic role cultural products can play - the Forum is also presenting arts and artisanal productions, from documentaries and films to handicrafts.
