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THE FIRST ANNUAL AFRICA GOVERNANCE FORUM
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11-12 July 1997
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The First Annual Africa Governance Forum, co-sponsored by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), took place in Addis Ababa from 11-12 July 1997. Within the United Nations Special Initiative on Africa (UNSIA), ECA and UNDP are mandated to lead the consultations on governance, to organize coordinated and collaborative programmes for implementation, and to mobilize resources and political support for good governance.
Good governance is an essential ingredient for sustainable development in Africa. Recent macroeconomic and political reforms in Africa are beginning to pay dividends, and African countries are requesting greater coordination and collaboration among the international community in support of their efforts to promote good governance.
The cessation of the Cold War had a major impact on Africa and governance. While it eased the resolution of some prolonged and intractable regional conflicts, it also exposed the intrinsic conflict-generating tendencies of many governments. Moreover, by highlighting democracy as the preferred system of government, it put pressure on the African one-party and military regimes to commence the process of democratization.
The collapse of the centralized economic system obliged African countries to reconsider their economic strategies while giving consideration to the emergence of larger regional economic blocs in Africa. If the continent is to be a player in the global economic system in the next century, it also must embark on a continental economic integration process. To be effective, such a process must emanate from viable economies.
The linkage between democracy, economic and social progress obliged African leadership and the international community for the first time to focus on the issue of governance in all its ramifications. The continent’s economic crisis was seen not just as resulting from faulty economic strategies, but linked to more fundamental causes relating to national peace, security and stability. The interrelationship of governance, peace, security, stability, and economic and social development has become a priority concern.
As recent as February 1997, African Heads of State, and Members of the commonwealth, restated the African position at the Commonwealth Roud-Table on Democracy and Good Governance in Africa held in Kasana, Botswana, reinforcing Africa’s commitment to pursue good governance. Earlier, at the France-Africa Summit held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in December 1996, the Heads of State and Government agreed that to achieve sustainable development, countries must not only pursue sound macro-economic and development policies, but also political and institutional reforms for good governance.
In launching the System-Wide Special Initiative, the UN set objectives to reinforce earlier programmes, and to demonstrate that the prospects for Africa’s development are positive and deserve greater international support. The underlying philosophy of UNSIA is that good governance promotes development that, in turn, sustains good governance. Within Africa and among international partners, the challenge beyond supporting peace-building, conflict resolution, and national reconciliation, is to aid in the expansion of capacities for transparent, responsive, effective, and democratic governance.
The fist Africa Governance Forum provided a unique opportunity for Africans, international organizations and Africa’s external partners in the donor community to engage in a dialogue on the state of governance on the continent, to examine emerging issues, and to share African experiences in building and promoting good governance.
All the programmes submitted to the Forum reflected ongoing governance programmes at the national level. Many emanated from national workshops, and had utilized international and local consultants in formulation missions assisted by UN bodies, notably the Management Development and Governance Division of the UNDP Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (MDGD), the UN Department of Development Support and Management Services (DDSMS), the UN Office of project Services (UNOPS), the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA). Under the leadership of the Regional Bureau for Africa, the UN system established an Inter-Agency governance task force that included all the foregoing, as well as representatives of the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA) and the Department of Public Information (DPI), and the UNDP Department of Public Affairs. The task force met on a regular basis at Headquarters, and discussed ongoing governance programming in Africa. Such coordination and collaboration had been envisaged at the launching of UNSIA.
A number of sub-Saharan African countries expressed keen interests in participating in the Forum. The preparatory process, which lasted from October 1996 through June 1997, involved programming missions to these countries, consultations among ECA, UNDP and other UN bodies, as well as sensitization missions to the donor countries missions to the donor countries, so as to ensure adequate input to the Forum and maximum utilization of the two –day scheduled time period. Prior to the Forum, more than 30 African NGOs and CSOs held a two-day consultation on governance in Addis Ababa, 23-24 May 1997. Selected participants in this consultation attended the Forum and contributed their collective views on the development of good governance in Africa and the partnerships of civil society, governments and the private sector that the process should encompass.
At the Forum itself, 14 African Governments were represented at the ministerial level, while 22 others participated as observers. In addition, 20 donor nations, 21 international organizations and 17 international and regional NGOs were present. The Forum was co-chaired by Mr. K.Y. Amoako, the Executive Secretary of ECA and Mr. James Gustave Speth, the Administrator of UNDP.
This meeting will hopefully have a qualitative impact on the ability to strengthen partnerships and move toward consensus among African Governments, civil society organizations and the international community around governance and democratic practices.
Furthermore, the exchange of information and the experiences shared should provide impetus to more healthy collaboration and effective coordination between UNDP, ECA, the World Bank, the Global coalition for Africa, the Organization of African Unity and the Commonwealth Secretariat, all organizations with considerable experience in the area of African governance. Such coordination within the context of the UNSIA should also benefit the mobilization of support and resources for governance programmes in Africa.
Through a series of deliberations and declarations, African Governments have laid a firm foundation for human-centered, equitable and sustainable development. These actions have posited sound economic policies, social justice, collective self-reliance, governance, peace, stability and development as critical ingredients for consolidation of democratic institutions.
The Forum’s discussions reinforce a conclusion that there exists in Africa a commonality of approach to good governance practices that includes a manifest commitment to:
Given the widespread recognition within Africa that better governance will improve the prospects of fulfilling the political, economic and social aspirations of the continent’s peoples, the Forum has significant potential for assisting the acceleration and institutionalization of good governance practices in the region.
