The past week has been an exciting and thought-provoking one for me in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as a participant-observer of the Eighth African Development Forum (ADF-VIII) that ran from 23-25 October.
It isn’t my first time of attending this biennial ‘talk-shop’ under the aegis of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa — my kind sponsors — and African Union Commission here and each time, I’m struck by the peaceful serenity of this Ethiopian capital, its atmosphere and certain cultural similarities with the northern part of Nigeria of my youth (before the present day corruption of its innocence), the fascinating juxtaposition of old traditions and modern acquirements, and, above all, the pride of its peoples who have never been conquered and have stuck to their language (Amharic) as a signifier of their independence and nobility.
This year’s central theme is “Governing and harnessing natural resources for Africa’s development.” As usual, a lot of statistics and a lot of economic jargons were thrown around, couched in all the ‘diplomatese’ the officials could muster, with some attempts to even make the continental picture look not as gloomy as it really is.
According to Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, the Nigerian multi-lingual, ebullient and brilliant economist who is UNECA’s Director of Economic Development and NEPAD Division, Africa’s growth of between 6.5 per cent and 7.2 per cent has not translated into “development,” as the people have not benefitted commensurately.
Emmanuel or Emma, as the gentleman would rather simply be called, said it was crucial to look at how to harness the continent’s natural resources to reduce poverty. “Exporting raw materials is equal to exporting your jobs,” he said, urging Africa to get into the global value chain.
Exploitation of Africa, begun centuries ago with the slave trade, balkanisation and colonisation, has continued in various forms, as usual, with the connivance or complicity of our peoples and leaders themselves.
Dr. Stephen Karingi, UNECA’s Director, Regional Integration and Infrastructure, said despite huge net profits of over $110bn in 2010 alone made by the top 40 mining companies operating in Africa, what Africa has gained has been comparatively minuscule.
While the growth and development of industrialised and emerging economies of the world continue to be fuelled by Africa’s mineral resources, Jean Noel Francois, AUC’s acting Director, Department of Trade and Industry, says Africa still remains poor, under-developed and dependent on donor assistance for national budget support.
Nigeria does not even feature at all among African countries where mining plays a dominant or significant part of their export earnings. While “minerals accounted for more than 80 per cent of exports in Botswana, Congo, DRC, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, and more than 50 per cent in Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia,” Nigeria’s vast mineral resources, where not poorly or illegally tapped, lay strewn beneath the ground waiting for when there will be purposeful and visionary leadership to exploit them for the country’s industrialisation dream.
The truth is that Africa is still beset with leadership problems and poor governance.
Bedevilled by corruption, and crass neglect or de-utilisation of her competent manpower due to ‘tribalism,’ nepotism, or just plain stupidity, “illicit financial outflows from Africa is over $50bn per annum,” according to Nigeria’s Yinka Adeyemi, UNECA’s Senior Regional Advisor, Economic Development and NEPAD Division, during the pre-conference media workshop, brandishing his “Track It, Stop It, Get It” slogan.
However, the cry to mitigate the flow is being wrongly directed at foreign benefiting countries. Such staggering figures provoked some participants to wonder if there isn’t some inherent, or even genetic, problem with the African!
A case in point that rang throughout the media workshop was that of one Ibori, a former state governor in Nigeria who is now serving jail term in a British prison after having been freed by Nigerian courts on the same charges of wanton corruption and laundering of stolen state funds.
It was recounted to the consternation and amusement of all how even Ibori’s successor attempted to burst the charges against his benefactor, claiming that the state has not “lost any money,” only to file for the “money” to be repatriated to the state once the British court convicted Ibori!
Of course, it’s not gloom all over. There are pockets of sanity here and there, with Botswana, Seychelles, Cape Verde, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and even Ghana, along with a few others, demonstrating purposeful governance and committed leadership.
But Africa remains a sad case. And if this dismal picture has to change, the media must be up in arms, highlighting issues, promoting good examples, and exposing and decrying undesirable tendencies in governance.
And the Iroko stands…
It’s all over — the Ondo State gubernatorial elections with its rancour and bitterness.
A winner has emerged and his victory, in my view, is comprehensive and convincing enough to remove all doubts as to which candidate the obstinate people of Ondo State want.
I had kept off meddling in the politics of the election after my first “intervention,” hoping to persuade Governor Mimiko to bring his one-state, go-alone party (LP) into the fold of the western zone-dominant party (ACN) for what I was persuaded may serve the Yoruba race better at this important juncture of their cultural and socio-economic resurgence.
That “interventionist” column, rhetorically entitled, “Can an Iroko make a forest,” met with a flood of angry protests, even castigation, by many Ondo State citizens who faulted my position, stating that the governance delivery of Mimiko was good enough for them and his re-election was assured.
Reports coming to me were conflicting. Some friends from Ondo State whose objectivity I relied on swore that Mimiko had under-performed and was merely hoodwinking the people. Yet, some other friends, including Richard Akinola, carried the Iroko banner and trumpeted his achievements to high heavens.
But Mimiko has carried the day, and President Jonathan chalks another democratic credential not only by allowing a reasonably free and fair election but, as with Oshiomhole’s Edo State victory, been quick to congratulate the victor even though not of his party.
It is not a pleasant thing that the ACN party leadership has not been gallant in defeat by not graciously conceding victory to Mimiko, but rather, looking to see what grounds may exist to discredit the election.
As one of my readers, Abimbola Agbaminoja, wrote:
“Ondo people have voted and they voted for the man who tried his best for the state. The ACN is definitely a great political party, a party that understands politics and has the interest of the people at heart. To ensure this great party does not lose focus, an opposition, no matter how inconsequential it appears, is needed. This will keep the leaders and representatives of this party on their toes.”
This may be the time to count losses and gains; but in the larger interest of the region, extend hand of brotherhood to the Iroko for a richer forest.