It is no longer making headline news that Somalia, a country located to the east of the African continent is presently besieged by an unprecedented famine in the history of the country. Media reports have confirmed over twenty thousand children dead out of malnutrition and associated aliments. Many residents have been forced to desert the country to neighboring nations for succor. Both local and international organizations, especially the United Nations have intervened by shipping and flying into Somalia tons of relieve materials ranging from foods, drugs, clothing, and other basic commodities necessary to improve the living condition of the people. The focus on Africa in the global community is centered on Somalia. The famine spreads across the shores of Somalia like an inferno as if with no obvious solution in sight.
In my view, its high time African leaders strategically position themselves to address human related issues facing the continent such as Somalia’s famine. Effort of African leaders in this wise should not be ‘politicized’. I mean to state there is an urgent need for African leaders to partner with appropriate bodies such as the Private sector in the continent, economic experts, the civil society groups, forecasters and any other relevant institution that can be collaborated with in forestalling and managing a future re-occurrence of the ‘social epidemic’ ongoing in Somalia. This brings to fore, the readiness and responsiveness of African Leaders towards economic and other social crisis confronting the continent. As stated earlier, African leaders should come to appreciate that governance the world over especially in democratically entrenched nations, comprises both the public and private sectors. The economic and social developments of the West and East today are facts to the aforementioned. Government in these regions of the world out of recognition to the developmental roles of the private sector either partners or provide an enabling business environment for the private sector in facilitating economic and social growth.
Therefore, African leaders and policy makers should consolidate efforts aimed at managing the challenges peculiar to the continent as recently observed in Somalia. To this end, the major private players in Africa’s economy should be identified. African leaders under the auspices of the African Union can draw up a memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U) with these organizations. Both short and long term measures aimed at managing and proffering workable solutions real time will be drawn. These measures can be made to be part of an organization’s long-term goal, which will often be a subject of discussion during an organization’s board meeting or her Annual General Meeting. By this, an organization is made to integrate into its plans and programs- short or long term, the measures adopted to address any challenge confronting the continent out of its social responsibility.
As a case study: the A.U in collaboration with five major organizations operating in the continent on food security. A short and long term plan is drawn on this. The government provides the enabling environment such as subsidies and incentives to the organizations involved in areas such as the importation of machineries for an intensive agricultural project, availability of raw materials, land amongst others. A committee comprising of both body’s representatives is constituted to supervise and provide necessary assistance in the actualization of the set goal. This supervisory body can constitute experts in the area identified. Out of the provision above, an emergency relief committee (E.R.M) should be in place for prompt action in the event of an emergency.
From the foregoing, African leaders should re-awaken there zeal and commitment to the people. The A.U should strengthen regional bodies such as SADC, ECOWAS in the drive towards achieving the stated objectives addressed above. The ability of China being the world’s second largest economy today, a country that started the race to nation building few decades ago with African ‘giants’ such as Nigeria, South-Africa, Ghana, has demonstrated that Africa like the Asian Tigers can equally attain the same level of economic and social development. Sharing the sentiment of Chester Higgins, Jr..” We are not Africans because we are born in Africa, We are Africans because Africa is born in Us.. Yes, that Africa is born in Us should compel us a people despite our present challenges to believe in a bright future for our dear continent. It is our collective responsibility, both the government and the governed. We need to be the ‘CHANGE’ required to move Africa to the next level in the Comity of Nation in our respective ‘corridors’
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