Discour
Johnson-Sirleaf
Vingt sixième conférence des Ministres africains des finances, de la planification et du développement economique, 19-12 octobre, Johannesbourg, Afrique du Sud, 20 octobre 2002
Honorable Chairperson,
Honorable Ministers,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and GentlemenLet me first congratulate you Honorable Ministers and Governors for being what you are -- the front liners of responsibility for meeting the development challenges of our continent in these challenging global times.
You are at the forefront of economic and financial decision making as Africa tries to internalize and implement a new development agenda. It is you who have to make it work; on your shoulders will fall, in large measure, the responsibility for its success or failure.
Some of you in this room will recall the several other development agendas with which we grappled over the past twenty years or so. Some twelve of them equally divided by those internally or externally inspired since the 1780 Lagos Plan of Action.
We are now embarking upon the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) defined as the framework for fulfilling Africa's promise for a brighter future. An internally conceptualized blueprint to reverse Africa's economic decline, end Africa's marginalization and consolidate new political and economic systems of responsive and accountable government -- in other words the primary instrument for the outburst of Africa's creativity, commitment and collaboration as a start of the African renaissance.
Before we move on to track progress let me remind you that our leaders and governments have accepted, indeed have contributed to the basic tenets of the NEPAD agenda. Sound economic policies to foster sustainable growth and development; resource allocational efficiency to ensure that human welfare and security are the end objective of development; partnerships internally between the government and its people and institutions; and externally between the country and its supporters, all aimed at achieving concerns and coherence in development effort.
Despite strong partnership orientation and innovation in terms of performance review there remains valid skepticism regarding NEPAD -- many of them articulated and reviewed in yesterday's sessions.
These doubts center around the perceived failure of the conceptualizers and promoters to involve a larger percentage of the population in the formulation and prioritizing of the NEPAD agenda, something which Professor Nkulu and his associates are working very hard to remedy through the various cross country workshops and seminars that are ongoing.
Perhaps more important in the view of the skeptics is the lack of confidence in the true commitment. The political will of our African leaders to these prescriptions under NEPAD which deal with the protection of the fundamental rights and freedoms, the exercise of participation and choice by the African people.
There is an equal level of skepticism regarding the commitment of African partners to contribute their fair share of the $64 billion annually which is envisaged for successful implementation of the agenda. It was good to hear the assurances provided by Ambassador Fowler yesterday and I look forward to similar assurances from Ambassador Jean-Claude Faure when he takes the floor.
As regards the expected contribution of the private sector and with due respect, recognition and agreement with the private sector representative who spoke yesterday, I can say that except for those transactions made structurally immune from intervention, this will be realized only if there is confidence in the stability of the political environment, in the predictability and continuity of sound economic policies and in the likelihood of cross border collaboration and partnership to achieve economies of scale.
In this regard, be mindful of the implications and consequences of what Benno Ndulu referred to as the collective reputation of public goods
Honorable Ministers, the commitment of African leaders to the principles of NEPAD are closely laid out in the declaration of democracy, political, economic and corporate governance which was adopted at the July 2002 inaugural assembly of the African Union in Durban.
The commitment of Africa's partners to support the implementation of these principles has also been laid out in pronouncements and papers of the G8.
These commitments include a periodic assessment of the application of these principles and their impact on development effort through a systematic performance review system. This is what the peer review mechanism is all about.
Systematic performance review is neither new nor inimical to the African development experience. Our countries undertake regular internal assessment through the budget review system. We collaborate with partners in various performance assessment such as the expenditure reviews. In formulating long term development vision and plans and in preparation of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) we undertake overall review and assessment of the progress in achieving overall development goals.
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is already working with over 26 African countries in review of performance of good governance through comprehensive set of indicators.
The peer review mechanism, the most innovative if not original dimension of NEPAD, merely takes our performance review assessment one step further in the process of continental ownership by extending the process to a select number of African professionals and institutions with the requisite competencies.
So why the fear, why the reluctance to move forward on this mechanism.
Some have expressed concerns of the threat to sovereignty, granting outsiders the right to pass judgment on our national prerogatives. I fail to see the logic of this concern for all we are doing is a review of the progress and the results of those principles to which we have already committed.
Others express concern that this mechanism will be used by the partners to punish those who fail to participate by the withdrawal of assistance. In my view, the harsh reality is that they can do so anyway under so many other disguises. It is their money after all, their taxpayers money which they should give only when we are performing. So what we ought to do is to call upon the ECA to carry out its work on performance indicators one step forward to enable us to judge the performance of our partners in NEPAD in terms of the level and timeliness of AID, the coherence and integration of their policies with our own insofar as the NEPAD goals are concerned; the space which Eveline Herfkens in her frank assessment provided some useful insights and guidelines as to how we might impress upon donor programme. They allow us to deepen our ownership and our experience. The Tanzanian initiative of donor performance monitoring might also provide lessons of experience.
We need to review and put to test the guidelines for enhancing good economic and corporate governance and the core indicators for tracking progress through the peer review mechanism which ECA has developed. Deputy Minister Mphalva suggested that the mechanism should lead to a rationalization of the review processes, …. revise the methodology, if necessary, to ensure that it does just that.
Distinguished participants, the background document for this meeting which have been prepared for this meeting and the several interventions of yesterday are clear in the conclusion that Africa is significantly off track in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
Growth at current level of 3.3 percent must increase to 7 percent to make a meaningful impact on poverty; ODA current level of $13 billion must increase by $25 billion to achieve the NEPAD Goals; domestic resource mobilization through domestic savings must move far beyond current level of 5 percent of GDP; debt relief must be deepened to achieve sustainability; private capital flows including foreign direct investment at current stock share of less than 5 percent must be more than triple to achieve the required expansion in trade, in infrastructure development, in industrialization.
Ministers, I remind you that you are on the front line in making these challenges.
And I close this presentation by suggesting that our success in progress and success in implementing the NEPAD agenda will depend upon the quality of effort in the 3Ps- policies, programs, and performance
- In sound economic policies that focus on sustainable growth: in social and political policies and strategies that ensure equity, equal opportunity and the respect for fundamental rights.
- In programs that prioritise the development of human capital and dynamize the private sector.
- In performance that is measurable and regularly monitored and assessed to ensure the achievement of Development Goals.
