Washington, DC — Africa is positioned for significant economic and social progress as leaders on the continent step forward to shoulder responsibility for improving conditions, said World Bank and IMF officials briefing reporters Wednesday on the journey of IMF Managing Director Horst Köhler and World Bank President James Wolfensohn to Africa. They met 22 African heads of state during two regional summits held last month in Mali and Tanzania. In addition, the two men visited Nigeria and Kenya.
"For the first time, we have African leaders taking ownership of what they want to do with Africa," said World Bank Vice President for Africa, Callisto Madavo, one of three officials who conducted the briefing. Mr. Madavo added that he felt there was "a lot of convergence around some of the key areas that need to be addressed if Africa is to move forward: governance, conflict resolution, the importance of investing in people, education, capacity building, a vigorous attack on HIV/AIDS, a competitiveness and linking African economies to the global economy, improving infrastructure."
G. E. Gondwe, head of the IMF's African Department, said he noticed a shift in attitudes among African heads of state that will most likely bolster development efforts. "In most cases there has been [in the past] a tendency to point at a third party for the problems Africa has," he explained. "This time there was a clear understanding of what the problems were and enthusiasm to take responsibility for what has to be done."
The international lenders and African leaders began outlining a long-term development plan that they hope will attract more investment on the continent. Corruption and conflicts, said Gondwe are major factors that severely hinder economic development. Citing Kenya as an example, Gondwe said he found "corruption to be one of the worst things that has impeded development."
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The joint trip by the Bank and the Fund to Africa is unprecedented and is a follow-up to a promise made last year at a Fund-Bank meeting in Prague to put Africa "at the center of the activities of the agenda of both institutions. Madavo called the new relationship with the continent the emergence of "a new partnership...in which, in a certain sense, the African leaders are telling us what they want to do, and in turn they are asking the bank and the Fund as their external partners to provide support."
In addition, the trip underpinned closer-than-ever cooperation between the Bank and the Fund. "We are growing closer and closer, our new partnership is growing," Madavo said.
Madavo added that the true challenge will be what the discussions will yield over the next year, at which point another trip is planned to assess progress.
For the full briefing click here
