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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Remarks of J. Brian Atwood
"Exploring Innovative Partnerships in a
New Era of African Development"
The African Renaissance
Washington, D.C.April 30, 1998
Thank you Aaron Williams for that overly kind introduction. We should all be grateful to the Congressional Black Caucus and the Southern African Grantmakers Affinity Group for bringing us together to celebrate the African Renaissance.
It is a new day for Africa in Washington just as it is a new day for the people of Africa. That is what this conference celebrates.
When you are travelling with the President of the United States for 12 days, you feel like you are in a bubble, at the epicenter of history making, but unsure of what the outside world is thinking. The 12 days in Africa were the most exhilarating of my professional life. But, even though you travel with the press corps, you're never quite sure how people back home are interpreting the trip.
Returning home, I realized for the first time that this 12-day journey had a tremendous impact on people's thinking here and around the world. It is truly a new day -- a day people in this room have been waiting for for a long time.
We have all been frustrated when Africa was portrayed as a basket case. Periodic crises seemed to confirm in people's minds that Africa was a continent of tragedy and hopelessness. We knew that was not accurate, but how could we overcome the perception?
We owe a very large debt of gratitude to President Bill Clinton for changing American and international thinking about Africa. And we owe a debt of gratitude to the new African leaders and the new African civil society for providing the hope and opportunity that the President's trip put on display.
During the past century the relationship between Africa and the Western World, was shaped by the immorality of slavery, the scramble for colonies, the opposition to colonialism, the wave of independence and the Cold War competition in which the super powers and their allies pitted African against African. It was an era of exploitation where the people of Africa were seen mostly as pawns -- that is until they began to fight back in their quest for independence.
Anti-colonialism was a powerful motivational force. But that was an issue for the last generation of Africans. Today the African people are no longer moved by the rhetoric of anti-colonialism. They expect more from their new leaders and in many countries they are getting it. They want to participate in the development of their society. They don't want to be dependent on handouts from the West. They will not forget the past exploitation, but their focus is on a future that they themselves want to shape.
The transition we are now seeing in Africa is African led. We better understand that or even those of us who want to help will be left behind. There is no room for the paternalistic notion that we can somehow dictate the terms of this renaissance.
That is why President Clinton's call for a new partnership with Africa was so important. The trip was not principally about projects or money. The trip was a critical step in defining a new and different relationship between the people of the United States and the people of Africa-- a relationship based on mutual respect, recognition that what is needed is a two-way dialogue, that we in the West must begin to listen more, not just because it shows respect but also because we can learn from the diverse sources of wisdom coming from Africa.
We are talking about an equal partnership to take advantage of the intellectual firepower and vision which is driving the African Renaissance, from the Mandelas, to the Isaiases, the Meles', the Masires and the Konares to name but a few.
Just as important are the new generation of African NGOs such as ACCORD in South Africa and the Inter-Africa Group based in Addis Ababa. These are groups committed to conflict resolution and the mobilization of civil society at the grass roots level to find African solutions to African problems.
Resources are important -- both development resources and the resources generated by trade and investment. However, what these resources are able to accomplish will be dependent upon the nature and the quality of the partnerships that we, and the international community, are willing to establish with the people of Africa.
It has been clear to those of us involved in Africa that the challenges of the next century are not about theoretical debates about what types of organizations are best positioned to work with Africa. There is simply too much that needs to be done. The partnerships we need must span the gamut of relationships and include public institutions, private firms, African governments, nongovernmental organizations, academic communities and concerned citizens.
One of the stranger phenomena in the days leading up to President Clinton's trip was the media's desire to characterize the thrust of our initiatives for Africa as "trade not aid." This was never our intention and it soon became clear that our policies were much more comprehensive, and much more realistic.
As the President made clear in his many speeches development assistance and private capital need each other to be effective. The President clearly described the synergy between the public and private roles in Africa today. He is committed to working both to enhance trade and investment opportunities and to restoring our assistance levels to Africa to their historic highs.
The public and private sectors have crucial roles to play. No donor can match the tremendous flexibility and power of private capital flows in energizing an economy. But by the same token, there are many issues that private capital is unable to address and these issues, unless they are redressed, will inhibit the flow of private capital.
What are the factors needed to attract private capital? They relate to human capacity and institution building -- healthy and well-educated people, a commitment to the rule of law, open economic systems, democratic structures. All of these depend on development cooperation, not private capital. In turn, all of us in the development field recognize that our job is to pave the way by providing a good environment for the investments that will drive the long-term economic growth that lifts all boats in African society.
When we look at what we collectively can do to enhance partnerships with Africa today, there are a number of important considerations to take into account.
Most importantly, we need to look at our efforts through the prism of how they can best support Africa's own efforts to strengthen its economic and political systems. African ownership is crucial to the success of development over the long haul, and we have seen some very promising breakthroughs.
I know that former President Masire of Botswana delivered the opening keynote to this conference. We were in Botswana a few weeks ago during that country's democratic transfer of power. That proud moment was but one example of the many things Botswana has done right during the last 30 years. And much of the credit goes to President Masire, a man I have had the privilege to know for the past dozen years.
Botswana and most of Southern Africa are doing an excellent job in keeping their eyes on the future. Through the Southern African Development Community and other fora, we are seeing the region take some remarkable steps toward economic integration and real cooperation on the environment, security and other issues. For example, Botswana is working with Angola and Namibia on regional watershed issues. South Africa and Botswana just established the first trans-boundary game park in Africa.
Through SADC, governments are working to reduce barriers to trade by improving transportation links, strengthening communication networks and standardizing custom regulations.
While Southern Africa is probably further down this road than other regions in Africa, these efforts are not unique. The effort in Central and East Africa to establish common mechanisms for justice, food security and conflict prevention also demonstrate how dynamic the process of partnership is between Africans on the continent. The reinvigorated IGAD group in the Horn of Africa and the ECOWAS grouping in West Africa are undertaking major initiatives in development and peacemaking. We must view our efforts to help within a framework of how we can best support these ongoing organizations and processes.
Many very effective partnerships already exist -- with Africans, with PVOs and NGOs, with private foundations and the private sector, and with bilateral and multilateral development assistance agencies. From these existing partnerships we have some wonderful examples of what works and why.
Let me give you one good example. Can you imagine a partnership between a development agency and an oil company? In Angola, the government has required oil companies who do business there to make social investments as part of their contracts for oil exploration and production.
At USAID, we have been providing services so that the oil companies better direct their social responsibility investments. Development gains because we leverage huge resources. The oil companies make out well because they can access information that will allow them to show results in related technical fields. Angola gains because it gets resources better directed to some of their most pressing social needs. Everybody wins.
There are so many good examples of partnership that it would be difficult to even scratch the surface in mentioning them.
We have the University of Florida working with Makere University in Uganda. Working together, with USAID funding, the two established a regional Center for Human Rights -- a very welcome development in a part of the world where these issues are critical to long term growth.
Africare is using AID funding on a community-based environmental program in over 60 villages in the Kaolack province of Senegal. Africare is also helping to set up enterprise-based cooperatives in 56 communities in Senegal, cooperatives managed by women who, for the first time, have access to commercial credit.
In Central and Western Kenya, Penn State University, Tuskegee University and the University of Nairobi have formed a partnership that promotes small business development for women, encourages democratic principles in cooperatives and improves the well being of infants and children. From applied research to the mouths of infants, this partnership has increased agricultural output of women and improved the diets and well being of their families.
There are other great partnerships. For example, the Leland Initiative that connects more than 20 African countries to the Internet and harnesses the power of information for development.
We are seeing groups like Rotary International work with USAID, the World Health Organization and African governments in the "Kick Polio Out of Africa" campaign that helped immunize more than 26 million children under five in 1996 alone.
We are seeing groups like the Corporate Council for Africa, the Congressional Black caucus, InterAction and many others invigorate international relationships between Africa and even the smallest of American communities.
We also need to work collaboratively to assist those African nations still in crises or who are attempting to emerge from long conflicts. I am pleased today to announce that USAID will be providing 6,500 metric tons of food aid, valued at $9.2 million, to help avert serious food shortages in Southern Sudan.
These commodities will be used to meet the most urgent needs of more than one million people, many of whom are refugees or displaced, and who have been seriously affected by the war and drought. USAID will also provide over $3 million of additional disaster assistance grants to UNICEF to support the overall Operation Lifeline Sudan program, and the transport of urgently needed seeds and tools to the town of Bahr el Ghazal.
The U.S. government is gravely concerned about the humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding in Southern Sudan. We strongly urge the Government of Sudan to carry out its obligations under international humanitarian law by affording full air access to the war affected populations, including approval of additional aircraft to deliver assistance to the region.
In another hot spot, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, U.S. goals are the establishment of a stable, democratic, prosperous nation whose government respects the rights of its citizens and is committed to their well-being. The present government faces the task of rebuilding a land wrecked by decades of Mobutu's kleptocratic misrule.
If this transition succeeds, the Congo could anchor peace and economic growth throughout central Africa. If it fails, the terrible human costs of chaos would be felt not only by the people of the Congo, but could harm prospects for peace and prosperity throughout Africa.
We are troubled by some recent actions of the Kabila government. But the Congo is much too important to contemplate total disengagement lightly. We want to see positive change in the Congo, but we must also appreciate the depth of the challenges facing that country.
USAID is working with the people of the Congo to promote economic and social recovery. For example, a USAID-funded health initiative immunized nearly 750,000 children in Kinshasa against polio and measles and provided them with vitamin A supplementation.
We are also working with local and regional governmental officials to support local reconstruction activities. For example, through our Office of Transition Initiatives, we are supporting road repair projects in Bukavu, capital of South Kivu in the eastern Congo.
This support means participating in sessions where local government and nongovernmental officials work at establishing the basic relationships necessary for successful development. As one of our representatives in Kivu has said: "It is worth the time it takes to encourage the creation of representative processes, structures, and the technical committees necessary to enable local government officials and civil society to solve pressing local problems together." We agree.
Processes like the one under way in Bukavu are occurring throughout the Congo. As a USAID representative in another regional center recently wrote: "In all my 25 years of coming and going to and from the Congo, I have never before had the opportunity to experience the country at a time when a climate of optimism and improvement prevailed rather than of cynicism and decline."
USAID will continue to work with constructive forces such as these in Congolese society to promote democratic development, justice, and increased prosperity. We may be unhappy with the actions of a new central government attempting to find its way -- and we must make it clear that we condemn violations of human rights and democratic principles -- but we also know that the situation can deteriorate further if we disengage. The good people who fought Mobutu for a better life and democracy deserve our support.
In closing, let me say that across the board we see an era of collaboration that is as varied and rich as the tapestry of Africa itself.
To flourish, partnerships require time, reciprocity and meaningful programs that produce results. Lasting partnerships are built on mutual respect, responsive planning, broad institutional commitments, a two-way dialogue, the use of the latest information technologies, and cultural sensitivity.
We are optimistic about the African renaissance. It is based on the same dedication, creativity and courage that won African nations their independence, but it is different. This revolution in Africa demands the participation of all Africans. This revolution demands an independence of spirit, not just form but substance. This revolution demands respect. This revolution demands the new partnership that President Clinton has offered. Now it is up to us to give that new partnership its full meaning.
Thank you.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
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Last Updated on: July 18, 2001 |
