Africa: Panel Begins 'Bold' Examination of U. S. Policy Options

1 October 2003
allAfrica.com
By Reed Kramer

Washington, DC — A 15-member panel drawn from government, nongovernmental and private sector institutions has began a review of U. S. policy towards Africa with the aim of making bold recommendations.

The advisory group was mandated by language introduced into a comprehensive appropriations bill earlier this year by Rep. Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia, who has a long-standing interest in Africa. The legislation, which passed both houses of Congress, instructed the Secretary of State to appoint a panel "to assess policy goals and program priorities with regard to United States relations with the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and to advise the Secretary of any related findings and recommendations. "

"We're asking them to be bold, to come at this with fresh eyes," Wolf said in an interview. The need for a thorough reexamination came to him after reading "Dark Star Safari: Overland From Cairo To Cape Town" by Paul Theroux, Wolf said. "Theroux traveled all over the continent and every place he had been to in the 60s and 70s is worse off," Wolf said. "With all the aid, the billions that we've given, we have seen no improvement in the lives of the people. "

He cited Ethiopia, where there was famine in the 1980s and where millions are facing starvation again. "There has been no land reform, no policy changes to address the problem," Wolf said. Asked if he expects the group to come up with new approaches, he said: "I hope it will."

The panel is currently chaired by Walter Kansteiner, the assistant secretary of State for Africa, who is planning to leave his post in a few weeks. "I was counting on Walter to usher it through, but it is understandable that he would want to leave that demanding job," Wolf said. It is not clear what Kansteiner's role will be after he departs.

"This is not a performance review and is not intended to be comprehensive," according to Steve Morrison, director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, who is serving as the panel's executive secretary. "This is a look at where the administration might want to move."

Morrison said the panel is looking at a range of issues, including steps to strengthen capital markets and boost counter terrorism, support peace operations and conservation efforts, improve diplomatic readiness and prepare for post-war reconstruction in places like Sudan. Another key issue is how to estimate the generation of wealth in oil-producing nations - Angola, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad - and to consider how that wealth can be channeled for development.

The panel had its first meeting on September 12 and will be working into December on a complete agenda. The report is scheduled to be submitted to Secretary Powell in January.

Africa Policy Advisory Panel

Chairman: Walter H. Kansteiner III, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

Executive Secretary: J. Stephen Morrison, Director, CSIS Africa Program

1. Senator Russell Feingold, (D-WI)

2. Representative Edward Royce, (R-CA)

3. Kofi Adjepong-Boateng, Group Managing Director First Africa, former Africa Director of UBS Warburg

4. Paul Applegarth, CEO, Value Enhancement International

5. Pamela Bridgewater, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, U. S. Department of State

6. Chester A. Crocker, Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies, Georgetown University and former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

7. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health

8. General Carlton W. Fulford Jr., (ret.), Director-Designate, Africa Center for Strategic Studies; former Deputy Commander in Chief, European Command

9. Dr. Helene Gayle, Director, Gates Foundation HIV, TB and Reproductive Health Program

10. Tom Gibian, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, AIG Africa Infrastructure Fund

11. Ambassador Richard McCormick, former Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs

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