Abuja — World Bank President and former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz addressing delegates yesterday, at the seventh Sullivan Summit of African and African American leaders, said he has made Africa his number one priority since taking office in 2005.
"Right after I was appointed, I came to Africa, and saw people working really hard. I saw energy and commitment," said Wolfowitz, who praised Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo for economic reforms and for fighting corruption. "I realized that something is different here; things are changing in Africa," said the World Bank president, including "leadership that is increasingly aware of its responsibility to people, leadership that is more accountable."
Wolfowitz noted the two-way transactions inherent in corruption. South Africa's Thabo Mbeki's dismissal of his Deputy President when an associate was found to have taken a bribe is an example of accountability, he said. But he said the lack of indication that the company providing the bribe has been censured is an example of practices that still need changing.
The World Bank President commended the dynamism of the African private sector, especially in "15 countries that have shown sustained growth over the last decade." Recognizing that funding for national infrastructure had largely lapsed, due to an assumption that the private sector would take over those projects, he said that "the Bank has to get back into the infrastructure business."
Wolfowitz said he agreed with Obasanjo that "Africa is on the move," evidenced by economic growth rates of four percent or better across the continent. Rwanda is doing well, he said, as is Mozambique, fueled by good leadership and popular energy. He drew a connection between economic growth and peace and social harmony, citing Tanzania and Burkina Faso as examples. "Burkina Faso and Tanzania have Christians and Muslim groups, different groups," he said, "yet they are at peace."
Wolfowitz proclaimed himself an optimist on Africa, in concert with Africans themselves. "People know what is going on here," he said. "They know first hand, not just what they read in the papers, which shows that what President Obasanjo is true. This is a continent on the move."
