Africa must focus on development

WESTERN countries and African governments should be more honest with each other regarding donor aid reaching the intended target and implement better monitoring measures instead of relying on diplomatic talk, an expert on international relations has sugested.

“The conspiracy of silence that recipients (of donor aid) are too happy to continue should stop,” said Ross Herbert of the US, currently attached to the South African Institute of International Affairs. African governments should also be more honest to each other where wrongs are done on the continent.”Africa cannot confront a liar, a thief, a genocide – we are unable to deal with the Darfur crisis or Zimbabwe,” he added.Herbert was speaking at a conference on the partnership between Africa and the eight wealthiest countries, the G-8.It was organised by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, linked to the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.The G-8 countries are Germany, Britain, France, USA, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia.He proposed that the billions of donor money flowing to Africa should be delinked from politics and diplomacy and handled by experts.These should bring technocrats and many experts to Africa to help the countries achieve their development goals.”Malawi does not have a budget, they only tell you at the end of each year how much was spent, there are no financial control measures, yet they get donor aid for ‘budget support.’ It would be better to send financial experts there to fix the finance ministry of Malawi,” the outspoken Herbert proposed.The destructive rules of diplomacy, as he called it, affected Africa and its donors negatively.A real partnership between Africa and donors would be to “take away funding from politics and diplomacy.”Ben Fuller of the Namibian Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) pointed out that Namibia and Botswana were good examples where development was taken seriously with proper planning, feasibility studies and transparency.The G-8 and other donors should study these two countries and apply the findings to other countries, he suggested.Herbert also severely criticised the New Economic Partnership for African Growth and Development (Nepad), a brainchild of South African President Thabo Mbeki, saying it was not clear whether it was an organisation, a framework or a partnership.”They have not produced bankable project ideas or feasibility studies and failed to do their homework for the recent G-8 Summit in Germany,” Herbert told the conference.”They are not very well defined, they convene conferences and put Africa on the agenda of the G-8 countries, okay, but Nepad needs to figure out how to get African governments more focused on development in their countries.”Equally, Herbert attacked the Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which Namibia is a member.”SADC has 600 projects on their list for implementation, but they are unfinanced projects.They seem to say ‘let’s have nice projects as long as somebody else finances them’.”Professor John Makumbe of the University of Zimbabwe stated that the G-8 partnership with Africa was skewed and asymmetric.”For decades donor countries have been taking out Africa’s natural resources at the cost of Africa’s development.Then there is that attitude which donors often have that one must be grateful for what they do,” Makumbe told the conference.Makumbe proposed that the G-8 countries, which intend to increase development aid for Africa, should strengthen the continent’s regional blocs like SADC, Comesa and Ecowas first.”Without strengthening them, the G-8 will not be able to help Africa,” Makumbe said.African governments should also be more honest to each other where wrongs are done on the continent.”Africa cannot confront a liar, a thief, a genocide – we are unable to deal with the Darfur crisis or Zimbabwe,” he added.Herbert was speaking at a conference on the partnership between Africa and the eight wealthiest countries, the G-8.It was organised by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, linked to the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.The G-8 countries are Germany, Britain, France, USA, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia.He proposed that the billions of donor money flowing to Africa should be delinked from politics and diplomacy and handled by experts.These should bring technocrats and many experts to Africa to help the countries achieve their development goals.”Malawi does not have a budget, they only tell you at the end of each year how much was spent, there are no financial control measures, yet they get donor aid for ‘budget support.’ It would be better to send financial experts there to fix the finance ministry of Malawi,” the outspoken Herbert proposed.The destructive rules of diplomacy, as he called it, affected Africa and its donors negatively.A real partnership between Africa and donors would be to “take away funding from politics and diplomacy.”Ben Fuller of the Namibian Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) pointed out that Namibia and Botswana were good examples where development was taken seriously with proper planning, feasibility studies and transparency.The G-8 and other donors should study these two countries and apply the findings to other countries, he suggested.Herbert also severely criticised the New Economic Partnership for African Growth and Development (Nepad), a brainchild of South African President Thabo Mbeki, saying it was not clear whether it was an organisation, a framework or a partnership.”They have not produced bankable project ideas or feasibility studies and failed to do their homework for the recent G-8 Summit in Germany,” Herbert told the conference.”They are not very well defined, they convene conferences and put Africa on the agenda of the G-8 countries, okay, but Nepad needs to figure out how to get African governments more focused on development in their countries.”Equally, Herbert attacked the Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which Namibia is a member.”SADC has 600 projects on their list for implementation, but they are unfinanced projects.They seem to say ‘let’s have nice projects as long as somebody else finances them’.”Professor John Makumbe of the University of Zimbabwe stated that the G-8 partnership with Africa was skewed and asymmetric.”For decades donor countries have been taking out Africa’s natural resources at the cost of Africa’s development.Then there is that attitude which donors often have that one must be grateful for what they do,” Makumbe told the conference.Makumbe proposed that the G-8 countries, which intend to increase development aid for Africa, should strengthen the continent’s regional blocs like SADC, Comesa and Ecowas first.”Without strengthening them, the G-8 will not be able to help Africa,” Makumbe said.