african leaders Archives - Page 2 of 2

January 27, 2011February 1, 2011

The African Uprising

FERNY NARH

The African is always left in the dark whiles decisions pertaining to his or her well being are taken by unknown forces. We are then forced to accept because the interest of our leaders has already been secured. I feel no less for my fellow Africans because I am also a victim of the unjustifiable rule or governance we are experiencing these days. Many at times I think and ask why this transpires in this era and I am not made better by this because less and less will my efforts be when I strive for the best.

Recent developments, I think, are a must because the ordinary citizen must realize the politician in whose arms he has devoted his well being. African leaders have for a long time taken Africans for granted and have rather improved their well being and assets. This has been the situation for a long time and it took the courage of just one individual to tell the masses that their lives were being toiled with by these politicians.

I stand to salute this great hero because I do believe in equality and justice for all and this is exactly what the young man proved. I foresee a day when Africa will rise and demand for her fair share of the national cake and the Tunisian uprising has turned the clock towards that direction, and when that day comes, I believe nothing will stop the masses.

This is an opportunity for the governments of African states to be responsive to the aspirations of the African, yet I see no sign of that. They rather put in forces to halt the voices of the masses. Egyptians have spelt out their plight but the best Mr. Mubarak can do is to put bans on protests and gatherings. This can’t stop them from crying out; it won’t keep them from shouting. The dawn of African revolution is about to begin and I advice African leaders to pay heed to the cries of the citizens because we are the voice of God.

January 23, 2011January 23, 2011

The Ivory Coast Crisis and African Leaders, Botswana’s Ian Kharma Stands Out

While several African Presidents have failed in displaying any leadership with regard to the Ivorian crisis, the President of Botswana, Ian Khrma, is telling the world that he is not one of them. Mr Khama has publicly denounced the Ivorian dictator and is extending an invitation to the opposition candidate to visit Botswana. Will Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and the rest follow suite? Read on.

Botswana moves to further isolate Gbagbo

Prince Ofori-Atta

Arrangements are underway for President Alassane Ouattarra’s first official visit outside his country since he was recognized by the international community as winner of the contested November 28 Ivory Coast presidential elections. President Ian Khama, who sent the first official invitation to Mr. Ouattarra, is a strong critic of what he terms as “hijacking” of political power.

Shortly after the African Union announced that mediation talks had failed despite “prolonged discussions” to resolve the political crisis that has gripped the Ivory Coast, President Ian Khama of Botswana has extended a formal invitation to President Alassane Ouattarra to visit his country in recognition of his victory of the Presidential Elections”.

Early December, Mr. Ian Khama had regretted the Ivorian crisis saying “one would have hoped that by now we would have gone past those days (of) coups and ridiculous situations like we have now in the Ivory Coast where two people have been sworn in as president.”

Mr. Khama’s declaration adds to a chorus of regional, continental and international condemnation over President Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to step down despite manifold efforts to get him to relinquish power, including an African Union (AU) mediation effort to negotiate a unity government as was the case in Kenya and Zimbabwe after election results were disputed.

But Mr. Khama has been vociferous in his criticism of “power-sharing” which according to him “is wrong”.

“The last thing we want is tomorrow we’d wake up and be told that there is some kind of power-sharing agreement between the two parties. It happened in Kenya because the elections there were also hijacked. It happened in Zimbabwe; the elections there were hijacked by the ruling party. And if that is going to happen anytime someone wants to dispute an election result, and may stay in power by default through a mechanism of power-sharing, it is wrong,” he said in a radio interview that was broadcast on BBC.

“The government of Botswana is deeply concerned about African leaders who reject elections results that are not in their favor (…) Such actions not only deny people the right to have leaders of their choice, but also thwart efforts to maintain peace and security on the African continent,” A statement from the Botswana Foreign Ministry read.

Analysts believe that the invitation from President Ian Khama, a fervent critic of Mugabe, could boost an already strong international and African support for Alassane Ouattarra and encourage further isolation of Laurent Gbagbo.

January 10, 2011March 6, 2011

Patrick Awuah: Educating a New Generation of African Leaders

About the Speaker

Patrick Awuah left Ghana as a teenager to attend Swarthmore College in the United States, then stayed on to build a career at Microsoft in Seattle. In returning to his home country, he has made a commitment to educating young people in critical thinking and ethical service, values he believes are crucial for the nation-building that lies ahead.

Founded in 2002, his Ashesi University is already charting a new course in African education, with its high-tech facilities, innovative academic program and emphasis on leadership. It seems more than fitting that ashesi means “beginning” in Akan, one of Ghana’s native languages.

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TED TALK

December 30, 2010January 16, 2011

THE OBAMA IN YOU

As the preliminaries for the 2012 US presidential election approaches and with several presidential elections taking place in Africa next year, it is a worthwhile engagement to examine the first African leader of the United States in relation to the great potentials of Africans in general. For it is still the case that Barack Obama emerging as the President of the United States of America in 2009, remains, to a large extent, a ‘mystery in disguise’ to millions of people – particularly black people in general regardless of our nationality, location, religion, interests or status in life.

Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States of America

An article in the Economist described the Obama phenomenon as ”GLOBAMAISATION’‘. According to the author, Tunde Oseni, ‘‘Globamaisation is both an idea and a process. As an idea, it refers to a set of principles that in a developed and deepened democracy, like the United States, the lines between politics, culture, color, creed and history are happily collapsing. As a process, ‘‘Globamaisation’ is the beginning of a new dawn whereby techno-democratic forces will drive silent revolutions across the globe.’’

An inference from the concept on Obama above clearly indicates that the world is gradually moving towards a position where individuals with potent capacity and will power can actualize their dreams and aspirations in life regardless of race, skin color, language and other relevant factors. Obama, in his book, THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, fervently addresses issues of his life. Despite all the challenges and difficulties he encountered while growing up; Obama believed that the fruit of the years of struggle laid in making his dreams come true. That is the reason why Obama, in a ‘deepened democratic’ system as the U.S, won the prestigious position of Presidency.

That this is a spectacular achievement derived largely from sheer determination need not be mentioned. What needs to be considered is whether the platform that was provided for him can be replicated elsewhere, particularly Africa. The first thing to say is that Obama’s intellectual potential indicates that Africans are as equally gifted as any other race and that humans in general, regardless of race or creed, have incredible reasoning ability. The significant difference between continents, countries and cities, however, contribute in enhancing this attribute. This question of nurture over nature applies deeply in Africa as many factors such as corruption and all elements of avarice negatively impact on people – particularly young children and adults. The depletion of resources through greed and the consequent mountainous struggle to attain a better life, particularly in comparison to what similar struggle can deliver in Western countries; have resulted in many not believing in the African continent or themselves.

My view is that Obama has successfully set the pace for Africans to aspire to positions which decades and centuries ago were never believed to be achieved by Blacks. However, if African governments can eradicate corruption, attempt to invest consistently in world class education systems, infrastructures and healthcare provision, they will reduce the present gap between ‘‘nurture and nature’’ in the development of human capabilities and provide the platform for unborn Africans to compete successfully on the global stage. That is when the Obama in all Africans can be seen in all spheres of life all over the world.
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December 5, 2010December 7, 2010

Nigeria’s Role in Africa Over the Next 50 Years

Dr. Robin Sanders, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria

Nigeria — a nation of plenty, a nation of potential, and nation of prospects. These are the key pillars that the next 50 years should bring to fruition for this great country. As an African-American who sees Nigeria as one of the most important global nations in the world today, it is important for Nigeria, with the support and encouragement from its friends, to enter the next half century with the goal of improving the daily lives of each Nigerian citizen. This includes having a safe enabling environment not only for economic growth and development, but also to further ensure its rightful place as a leader in the sub-region on peace and security issues. Nigerians, and their friends, see the struggles that this great nation faces today with instability being renewed in the Delta, ethnic tensions in parts of the North, corruption issues, and concerns about a successful, and transparent election looming large for April 2011.

None of these issues should be taken lightly, they are real, cause uncertainty, and are challenges that must be addressed in a transparent manner to set the stage not only for Nigeria in the next 50 years, but also for the African continent writ large. The nation of Nigeria and the people I have had the pleasure of working with and knowing have always made me proud to be connected to a country with such great potential and prospects. Nigeria is a symbol for many African-Americans in so many positive ways — the creativeness, the talent, and the strong love of country — to name a few of the core values that I experienced living in Nigeria. This viewpoint does not mean that we are not rooting for Nigeria to be even more than it is today and that it must continue to work to ensure that the challenges of today mentioned above are addressed and are not markers of the future. I was asked about the role of Nigeria in the future of Africa over the next 50 years given that Nigeria and 17 other nations celebrated their jubilee anniversary in 2010. There are several very important points to make in this regard:

Leadership by far is Nigeria’s first role on the continent as it is a key political, security, and trading partner in the sub-region and with other world nations. However, with this, it has to continue to find ways to better address its own internal security and corruption issues as part of this leadership and make transparent elections and good governance the order of the day;

Nigeria’s development role is next, particularly, as Nigeria and the rest of Africa should be the next emerging frontiers for economic growth, markets, and trade. The recent positive news in some quarters of Nigeria’s macro-economic and capital market reforms efforts spurred by the leadership at Nigeria’s Central Bank and at its Security and Exchange Commission are symbolic of the solid foundations that countries in Africa need to be moving toward over the next 50 years. The issues of most concern to me are what I have called the FEEEDS issues (with the acronym meaning Food Security, Education, Environment, Energy, Development/Democracy and Self-Help). The FEEEDS issues will need to be better handled over the next 50 years by all nations on the continent;

Nigeria’s youth and women need to be included and play a key role in the direction of the country. Given that more than half of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 35 coupled with having nearly 74 million women, both youth and women need to be provided with not only ample but more adequate educational opportunities (including vocational and entrepreneurship training) as they are vital to a viable future for any nation. No nation can develop by excluding more than half its population from a strong and visible role in political development, and social sector reform; and, transparency in resource management which is not only cross sectoral but also a synergistic way of better addressing how all resources — energy resources, land and water resources, human resources, and financial resources — in a country are governed.

None of us has a crystal ball, and none of us can predict the future. What we can do is our utmost to put in place the things that we know can help make the future a better place. Nigeria, as the most populated nation on the continent and because of the core values I know are part of the Nigerian mosaic, can and should help set the stage for the future of the Africa region and the global community, but addressing the four points above are key parts of achieving these goals.

November 21, 2010January 6, 2011

Africa’s youth can do great things, says UN Chief

African graduate leaving the continent for greener pastures

Africa’s young population can drive the continent’s future development, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon told an international symposium taking place in Benin.

More than 60 per cent of Africa’s 1 billion people are under the age of 25 years, he noted in a message to the meeting in Cotonou.

“While it will be a tremendous undertaking to provide them with jobs and income opportunities, this energetic creative and vibrant workforce can do great things for African standards of living if only they are given the tools.

“Africa’s impressive economic growth during the past decade shows what is possible. The challenge now is to translate growth into improved social welfare for the people and faster progress towards the Millennium Development Goals,” Mr. Ban said, referring to the targets to slash hunger, poverty, disease and a host of other social and economic ills by 2015.

The other challenges the Secretary-General outlined for the continent to address included climate change, desertification and democratic backsliding, as well as continued armed conflict and sexual violence against women.

At the same time, he praised the achievements of African countries since their independence from colonial rule, with particular tribute paid to the African Union (AU), and the efforts it has made to improve the political and economic situation in the continent.

“Africa has taken charge of preventing and resolving its conflicts and promoting the economic and social development of its people,” he said.

Through African institutions, such as the AU, the continent had become less reliant on the international community for aid and support, Mr. Ban noted, while adding that the UN will continue to support Africa’s efforts to ensure stability and progress.

(United Nations)

November 20, 2010January 2, 2011

Africa can reach development targets if given a push-Migiro

Africa, with its immense human and material wealth, can achieve the globally agreed development targets world leaders have pledged to achieve by 2015, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro told United Nations agencies working on the continent, while also stressing the need for strong support from the international community.

“The continent’s people need neither pity nor charity, but rather the tools, institutions, stability and freedoms to create incomes and jobs,” Ms. Migiro stated in her remarks to the Regional Coordination Mechanism meeting held yesterday in Addis Ababa.

“International solidarity and a level playing field – especially in global trade – will go a long way toward helping the continent realize its noble objectives for its people, its prosperity and its stability,” she told the meeting, which seeks to ensure that various UN departments and agencies work more effectively together in the region.

She noted that the broad impacts of climate change and the multiple crises, including those related to finance, food and energy, continue to hamper development efforts in Africa and threaten to scale back hard-won development gains.

In spite of these challenging trends, Africa’s economic performance rebounded and has remained steadfast, with growth projected to be 4.8 per cent in 2010, driven mainly by recovery in mineral exports, official development assistance (ODA) inflows, strong government expenditure on infrastructure development, and remittances.

In September, world leaders meeting in New York noted the remarkable achievements that have been made, especially in terms of reducing poverty and expanding education and access to clean water, just some of the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

They sent a clear message, said Ms. Migiro: “If we step up our efforts, the MDGs remain achievable by 2015, including in the least developed countries.

“However, the Summit also stressed that more concerted efforts are needed, particularly in Africa,” she pointed out, adding that the September summit’s outcome document set out some of the key challenges.

These include addressing climate change, reducing inequalities, advancing the well-being of vulnerable groups, and continuing to implement the global action plan for the least developed countries (LDCs), 33 of which are in Africa.

Addis Ababa is the last stop on the Deputy Secretary-General’s current three-nation trip, which also included visits to Lebanon and Laos.

(UN Release)

November 9, 2010November 9, 2010

Encouraging Leaders to Do the Right Thing, by Nicholas van Praag

"Spare the stick, spoil the child." That was the advice from proponents of the tough love approach to parenting that prevailed in Victorian times.

Plus ça change. Looking around the world today, encouraging leaders in fragile states to do the right thing, whatever that might be, is more about punishing them for erring in the performance of their governance duties than rewarding them for doing good.

There is a panoply of international sanctions to punish leaders who abuse human rights, undermine constitutionality or indulge in corruption. Some are regional, others global. Some are formal, others informal. Whatever their provenance or legal standing, the stick remains the instrument of choice.

Mechanisms to recognize or reward good leadership are few and far between. Yet leaders are human and, unless they are beyond redemption, they are more likely to respond to recognition and rewards than sanctions and reprimands.

The Nobel Peace Prize and the Ibrahim Prize are both strong incentives and could be emulated to acknowledge the contribution of leaders who consistently do well. Why not find ways, for example, to reward ministers who make a lasting impact on corruption or top brass in the military who reform the security sector peacefully?

Initiatives such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and the Board of the Natural Resource Charter might want to find ways to boost the standing of leaders in government, civil society, and the private sector who improve the transparency of resource revenues and expenditures.

International and regional organizations could use top jobs as incentives for national reformers. The United Nation's Department of Peacekeeping Operations vets senior appointments for past human rights abuses. Other multilateral organizations could follow suit and use recruitment to reward successful reformers while barring those who have violated international law.

Rewards are often carefully calibrated diplomatic gestures rather than signals of fulsome support. For example, we learned this week that President Obama has told Sudan that if it allows the referendum on the status of Southern Sudan to go ahead in January 2011, and then abides by the results, the United States will take Sudan off its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Realpolitik aside, if the carrot is to become mightier than the stick, we need to agree on what we can reasonably expect of leaders in countries scarred by violence and accept that it will take them a long time to show progress.

Without agreement on what is worthy of reward, we are unlikely to see much shift in the balance between recognition and sanctions. But then it took decades for British parents to stop beating their children.

Nicholas van Praag, World Development Report