ADF ‘THE LEADING FORUM FOR SERIOUS AND INTELLECTUALLY RIGOROUS DISCUSSION’ – MELES

By Andrew Allimadi, General Rapporteur’s Team

The Ethiopian Prime Minister, H.E. Meles Zenawi, today opened the Fourth African Development Forum (ADF IV), taking place at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference, organized by ECA in collaboration with the African Union (AU) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), will discuss the theme of “Governance for a Progressing Africa”.

In his opening remarks to the conference, the Prime Minister described ADF as “the leading Forum for serious and intellectually rigorous discussion … and exchange of views on critical issues related to the development challenges of Africa.” He commended the ECA, AU and AfDB for their contribution in making ADF an important Forum for consensus building on a variety of issues affecting Africa’s development, adding: “Without good governance and the full respect of the democratic rights of citizens and all sectors of society, it would be impossible to put in place conditions for durable peace and stability.”

In his opening remarks, The Executive Secretary of ECA, Mr. K.Y. Amoako, explained that ECA had devoted this ADF to governance because of its critical importance to peace and security and economic development. “We focus on governance”, he said, “because no matter what sectoral problem or national challenge we face, over and over again, governance turns out to be pivotal.”

Mr. Amoako cited the HIV/AIDS pandemic as one such colossal challenge currently facing the continent. With several African countries losing their teachers, civil servants and military personal faster than replacements can be trained, it is important to understand and pre-empt likely impacts on governance. It was to help mitigate these effects that the Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance (CHGA), based at ECA, was studying the long-term impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Governance was also timely, said Mr. Amoako, because many African leaders had also decided to prioritize it in their national policies, in the shared belief that a highly active and progressive state is required to meet the current challenges facing the continent. “Development is impossible in the absence of true democracy, respect for human rights, peace and good governance,” he stressed. While commending the political will of key African leaders who have made governance a central issue, Mr. Amoako emphasized the critical importance of public and private sector stakeholder participation.

The Executive Secretary further stated challenges facing Africa as low and fragile economic growth, which is below the level required to meet the Millennium Development Goals; and the fact that economic reforms are not making a significant dent on the continent’s poverty levels, or providing employment for the continent’s youth.

Mr. Amoako explained that ECA had conducted a groundbreaking survey in nearly 30 countries in a bid to better understand the state of governance in today’s Africa. The surveys are comprehensive and cover both political and economic dimensions of governance leading to policy recommendations. More than 2,000 experts and 50,000 households were involved in the survey, providing a reasonably accurate picture. The preliminary results of the study will be presented to the conference on Tuesday.

Also speaking at the opening, Ms. Gertrude Mongella, Chairperson of the African Parliament, said good governance, the respect for dignity and human rights are not new themes but are deeply embedded in African history and culture. The challenge for current leadership was therefore how to resuscitate these values and bring the concept of good governance closer to the people. She also stressed the importance of empowering women to participate fully in the decision-making process as their concerns are often ignored, particularly in the economic empowerment discourse

Ms. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Chairperson of Liberia’s Governance Reform Commission, pointed out that even though 7 years had elapsed since South African President Thabo Mbeki suggested the coming of an ‘African renaissance’, the continent was still struggling to achieve the momentum and enthusiasm needed to make the vision a reality. “The lessons of experience suggest clearly that good governance practiced by a capable state is a pre-requisite for the achievement of those goals,” she insisted.

Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf remarked that the legitimacy of many governments in Africa continues to be challenged due to fraudulent electoral practices and “the tendency of leaders to resist the good practice of limiting their term in office.” Only bold leadership, based on the legitimacy established by the will of the people, could address many of the continent’s issues. She concluded by stating that the continent needed to adopt a system of governance that could ensure a regular and peaceful transfer of power and consolidate progress in accountability and respect for human rights. Only then would the African renaissance become a reality.