The Commonwealth and Resurgent Africa: A Strategic Partnership
Date: 7 Apr 2005
Speaker: Secretary-General Don McKinnon
Location: Makerere University, Kampala Uganda
I am delighted to be with you today.
I am always happy to be in Uganda - and in this great continent of Africa, where human history began! Indeed, this is my second visit to the African continent in less than two weeks!
I am also delighted to be in this great centre of learning and am grateful to the Vice-Chancellor for the invitation to speak at Makerere.
I am told that the University runs a "midnight programme" in computer sciences, with lectures running from midnight to 6.00 a.m. - I'm so glad you didn't invite me to speak at 2.00 in the morning!
As you know, Africa has a very special place in the Commonwealth and much of the work we do is aimed at helping the people of Africa.
Of course, many people are taking a great deal of interest in Africa today. With the Africa Commission, the forthcoming G8 meeting and the Millennium Development Goals mid-term review, the eyes of the world are turning to the African continent.
This has not always been the case. For many decades, Africa remained at the bottom of the international agenda.
And then the cold war came to an end, and many hoped that money previously spent on arms would be diverted to development in Africa - creating a real peace dividend.
But it did not happen. Instead, most of that money went into securing nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union and preventing a total collapse of Russia and other central Asian states.
And what we are witnessing today is US$300 billion being spent in Iraq alone - that's 300 times more than US annual aid spending in Africa. If there was a peace dividend, Africa did not benefit from it.
It seems, however, that the international community is finally determined to take Africa's problems seriously and that leaders are ready to back their promises with action. But these are still merely good intentions.
It is worth remembering, however, that organisations like the Commonwealth have been fighting hard for many years to bring Africa to the top of the international agenda. We didn't wait for the current upsurge in interest to urge the developed world to abolish trade subsidies that harm African farmers. For decades now, the Commonwealth has been providing assistance to member countries in Africa, creating opportunities for economic growth, education and social development.
The ties between Africa and the Commonwealth are rooted in a long history. Political events in Africa have helped shape the Commonwealth's identity and its role in promoting democracy and development. Africa's vast heritage and cultural diversity enriches the Commonwealth and deepens its global reach. And with 18 members, African countries collectively represent the largest regional constituency within the Commonwealth community.
Today, I would like to focus on three aspects of the connection between Africa and the Commonwealth:
- First, a relationship based on shared values and commitments
- Second, the Commonwealth's determination to support Africa's development
- Third, the Commonwealth's role as a discreet and effective partner to help solve and prevent conflicts
But before I do this, let me start by debunking a few myths.
1. Africa and the Commonwealth: debunking myths
There are many myths about Africa and many myths about the Commonwealth - and very often, these myths are quite similar.
One of the standard misconceptions about the Commonwealth is that it is merely a "relic of the Empire" - an organisation that fulfils no useful role in the modern world. Another is that it is a 'British' Commonwealth.
The truth is that the Commonwealth is a unique organisation which provides an international forum where each member country can have its voice heard and increase its weight in world affairs.
Some call it a "club", but it would be better described as a family of nations, where members share not only a common identity, but common values and a common sense of purpose.
And it stopped being the 'British Commonwealth' more than 50 years ago. Today it is as much an African Commonwealth, or even a Ugandan Commonwealth, as any other.
The Commonwealth is, indeed, rooted in history - and that is one of its strengths: it is not based on an artificial blueprint or a bureaucratic template. Rather, the modern Commonwealth evolved out of history, transforming the bonds of colonialism into ties of friendship, trust and cooperation, on the basis of sovereign equality.
Of course, Africa played a key role in that process. Few people remember, for example, that it was Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first President, who led the move to establish a neutral Commonwealth Secretariat, which came into being in 1965. Previously, Commonwealth affairs had been looked after by British civil servants. Nkrumah emphasised the limitations of this system and was supported by many countries including Nigeria and Uganda.
There are also persistent myths about Africa itself. Africa is often portrayed in negative terms - a place resistant to change, where "only bad things happen".
It is no doubt true that Africa has its fair share of conflict, that many regions are racked by poverty and that HIV/AIDS is sapping the energy and youth of many countries. But there are many other troubled regions in the world today and, more to the point, much progress has been made in many African countries.
There is not a single military dictatorship in Commonwealth Africa today.
Long standing territorial disputes - between Botswana and Namibia on the status of Kashikili island and between Nigeria and Cameroon on the Bakassi peninsula - have now been resolved through the International Court of Justice.
Sierra Leone has managed to emerge from years of civil war and the 2002 elections were hailed as a democratic success (with 14% women MPs being elected, higher than the Commonwealth average).
The Ghanaian elections of 2001 and the Kenyan elections of 2002 showed that peaceful political change was possible, even when a single party had been dominant for many years.
The recent political handovers in Mozambique and Namibia are models of smooth and peaceful transitions.
It should also be pointed out that many African countries are making progress in rooting out corruption. It is encouraging, for example, that Nigeria's efforts to improve transparency and raise accounting standards, particularly in the oil industry, are yielding results.
Some countries are enjoying sustained economic growth - the success of stockmarkets in liberalized economies such as Ghana and Nigeria is testimony to this.
On HIV/AIDS, some African countries have managed to develop effective policies. Uganda, for instance, has seen a drop from 14% to 6% in HIV infection rates since the 1990s. Its prevention strategy has now become a model in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Of course, much more needs to be done, particularly in tackling poverty and improving good governance. But sometimes, it is helpful to remind ourselves that progress is being achieved and that hope is not a vain word. Old prejudices about Africa must therefore make way for a more objective reality.
2. Africa and the Commonwealth: shared values and commitments
Africa has been at the centre of political developments that have shaped the Commonwealth's identity. For many years, the Commonwealth was almost synonymous in the public eye with its campaign against apartheid in South Africa - and it is worth pointing out that the Commonwealth and the UK did not always see eye to eye on this issue.
It was the Commonwealth which led world opinion on sanctions against apartheid; and it was the Commonwealth again which advocated the phased removal of sanctions when genuine change became visible in South Africa.
Many key Commonwealth Declarations were shaped in part by Africa's experience of political liberation and democracy. The 1979 Lusaka Declaration on Racism and Racial Prejudice became a source of inspiration for many people who were fighting discrimination and injustice in Africa and elsewhere in the Commonwealth.
And, of course, the Harare Declaration of 1991 embodies the core political values of the Commonwealth. Respect for those values has become one of the fundamental conditions of Commonwealth membership.
These values - democracy, human rights, tolerance, solidarity, respect for others - are also fundamental African values. They are expressed in the African notion of "obuntu".
Obuntu means that we are all part of the same human community. It means that we cannot cut ourselves away from others. That is why we must treat each other with dignity and respect our differences.
As Archbishop Tutu once said, "Obuntu speaks about humanness, gentleness, hospitality, putting yourself out on behalf of others, being vulnerable. It embraces compassion and toughness. It recognizes that my humanity is bound up with yours."
In other words, we are all connected. Our lives and livelihoods depend on the lives and livelihoods of our neighbours, everywhere on the planet. This goes to the heart of what the Commonwealth stands for.
3. Reaping the benefits of economic growth
Obuntu - solidarity for others - is also the guiding principle for the Commonwealth's technical assistance in Africa.
Our projects include advising governments on how to attract investment to exploit natural resources. In the petroleum sector, for instance, we helped the Government of Namibia negotiate agreements with international oil companies for offshore exploration projects worth over US$100 million.
The Commonwealth is also very supportive of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). Our strategic collaboration with NEPAD on economic and political issues will, I am sure, bear fruit, and we look forward to developing synergies in many areas, including the NEPAD Peer Review Mechanism.
Our work in Africa also focuses on health, education and youth.
With nearly half the Commonwealth population under the age of 30, our responsibility to young people in huge. In order to help young people take control over their lives, we run a Youth Credit Initiative, which provides micro-credit to young people to start or expand their own businesses.
Moreover, our Diploma in Youth Development, which is run in partnership with 24 universities - including Makerere - in 40 Commonwealth countries, provides youth development professionals with the tools to influence policy and shape decisions that have an impact on young people's lives.
Through our Youth Ambassadors for Positive Living programme, we contribute to prevention efforts to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS. This scheme, which started in Zambia, allows young people living with HIV to educate others about AIDS prevention. Nearly 200 Commonwealth Youth Ambassadors are operating in 6 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia.
One of the most effective weapons in the fight against poverty is, of course, international trade.
But countries in Africa and the developing world in general are often prevented from reaping the benefits of trade by unfair trade rules and practices.
In precisely those sectors where developing countries have a comparative advantage, such as agriculture and textiles, developed countries have protected themselves through both tariff and non-tariff barriers, and extensive systems of domestic subsidies resulting in dumped exports.
It is a well known fact that governments in the rich world - the US, Europe and Japan - spend US$1 billion a day supporting their own farmers at the expense of poor farmers in developing countries.
The result is that farmers in the US can sell their cotton at a lower price than West African farmers even if it costs them more to produce it.
EU subsidies and market restrictions on sugar cost Mozambique US$38 million and Malawi US$32 million.
This is not only economically absurd and stupid. It's morally unacceptable.
The longer this trade apartheid continues, the more anger and resentment it will cause. That is not good for world stability.
But agricultural subsidies are only part of the story. Trade barriers also prevent poor countries from making the most of their natural resources and products.
At the Abuja CHOGM, President Museveni made the point that, because exports of added-value products from developing countries attract high tariffs in developed countries, Uganda was forced to export unprocessed coffee beans and cotton, giving away the benefits of added value to Europe and the US.
In other words, for every bag of coffee sold to rich countries, Uganda is 'donating' US$10 - a total 'donation' of US$40 million a year. There is food for thought here for everyone.
We all know that the single greatest thing advanced nations could do to help developing countries would be to give them access to their markets.
Today, rich countries must realise that opening their markets to the developing world and lowering trade subsidies is in everyone's interest.
Cutting subsidies and allowing developing countries to trade their way out of poverty would bring more stability to the world.
Here again, the African value of obuntu points the way: living in an interdependent world, we cannot ignore the plight of our fellow human beings. We must recognise that tackling global poverty is not only a moral imperative, but also a political one. No one in the world can have a secure future when half the world has no future at all.
The Commonwealth has long been urging industrialised countries to eliminate trade subsidies.
We also help poor countries argue their case in trade talks.
Earlier this year, the Commonwealth Secretariat hosted a high level trade seminar aimed at putting development at the forefront of the Doha Trade Round. We are looking to secure a very strong outcome on the Doha Round when Commonwealth leaders meet in November in Malta, just before the WTO Hong Kong ministerial meeting.
4. Good governance and conflict prevention
But in order to reap the benefits of trade and economic growth, a country needs strong democratic foundations.
That is why a great deal of the Commonwealth's work focuses on helping our member countries strengthen good governance and root out corruption.
At their meeting in Abuja in December 2003, Commonwealth leaders reiterated their determination to stamp out corruption and enhance collaboration on repatriation of illegally transferred assets.
Good governance is also about the proper balance of powers among the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
At their meeting in Abuja in 2003, Commonwealth leaders endorsed the Latimer House Principles which define the checks and balances that should govern relations among the three branches of Government.
Earlier this week, I took part in a Forum on the Latimer House Principles in Nairobi. The aim of this Forum is to give operational effect to the Latimer House Principles in Africa, an exercise we hope to repeat elsewhere in the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth is also committed to help prevent conflicts in its member countries. It is strategically placed to play an increasing role in this area.
Many countries facing internal conflicts are often reluctant to accept outside assistance as they perceive it as a threat to their national sovereignty. The Commonwealth has no battalions and therefore does not intervene militarily.
It uses the force of argument rather than the argument of force to help opposing parties pull back from the brink and bring them to the negotiating table. Again, it is the value of obuntu that the Commonwealth strives to put into practice: the belief that we are all part of the same human community and that our survival depends on accepting this shared humanity.
In recent years on the African continent we have facilitated considerable progress in Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Swaziland and Zanzibar (United Republic of Tanzania), to cite a few examples.
As you know, the Commonwealth has also been involved in attempting to find a solution to the difficult situation in Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, all our efforts to engage with the Zimbabwe government have been turned down and in December 2003, the country withdrew from the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth was not permitted to observe last week's election but clearly Zimbabwe has yet to resolve many difficult internal issues.
We hope Commonwealth governments will continue to engage with Zimbabwe.
Conclusion
Back in 1964, Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, argued that the real global issue was the gulf between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. More than 40 years later, his words still ring true - unfortunately.
But as I have tried to outline to you today, there is also a great deal of hope. And much of that hope lies with young people like yourselves.
Countries in Africa need, of course, increased assistance, debt relief and fair as well as free trade.
But they also need the energy and commitment of young people. Young people in Africa must be given the tools to change their lives and build a better future for their communities.
African nations must invest in young people and they, in turn, will invest in their country. But to do this, they need to have the confidence that they will be listened to and will be given real opportunities to shape their country's future.
This is what will deliver real hope to people in Africa - not the illusion of a better future, but the rock solid resolve to change the present.
Nothing, to me, conveys that kind of hope for a resurgent Africa better than these verses by Maya Angelou:
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
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The Commonwealth and Resurgent Africa: A Strategic Partnership
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