DEVELOPMENT: Summit Zeroes in on Keeping World Attention on Africa

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO, Oct 1 2003 (IPS) - Against a backdrop of donor fatigue and a deadlock on trade between rich and poor countries, African leaders at a summit here renewed a pledge to keep the world’s attention on a continent that is grappling with wars and famine, but also faces new opportunities ahead.

While the African leaders said that the three-day conference that ended here Wednesday did not produce magic solutions, they agreed that it helps focus attention on the region’s needs with the help of a key global donor like Japan.

”Five years from now, we should be able to access more aid and boast of increased trade with Japan, steps to achieving the millennium goals to reduce poverty in Africa,” South African President Thabo Mbeki said. ”That should be the yardstick of success” of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).

”Africans have not got everything we wanted, but these conferences still play a very important role to gain firm support from the international community for our future,” summed up Ibrahim Gambari, U.N. undersecretary general and special adviser to Africa, one of the co-hosts of the conference.

”Statistics point to a dark future in Africa,” President of Gabon Omar Bongo said, one of 23 African leaders at the summit. ”Against this reality, TICAD in Tokyo has given us a new impetus.”

African ownership of its development and partnership with the international community was a focus of the declaration issued at the end of the meeting.

This philosophy, according to the declaration, has outlined the role of TICAD on its tenth anniversary as a venue to foster an African-led initiative of self-reliance called the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

”The recognition of NEPAD has defined the future of African development. TICAD throws its support behind NEPAD with the donor community’s role outlined as a partner, extending the best support it can,” said Yoshiro Mori, former prime minister and representative of Japan.

TICAD, which was initiated by Tokyo in 1983, has been the largest diplomatic conference hosted by Japan and its other partners, which include the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme and the Global Coalition of Africa.

This year’s meeting was attended by 50 African countries, including 23 heads of state, 39 donors and representatives of multilateral organisations and the private sector.

In Tokyo, TICAD also brought cooperation between Asian and African countries in a special session held Tuesday along the concept of South-South cooperation.

The strategy, according to diplomats here, is a means to combat donor fatigue, especially from the west. Asian input, whether through technology or investment, is expected to ease the burden on Western donors who have been slashing bilateral aid to Africa. Figures from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) show that Africa received 851 million dollars in aid in 2001, down from 969 million dollars the previous year.

Aid from Japan, the world’s second largest donor, however, shows a slight increase – from 10.1 in 2000 to 11.4 percent during 2001. Asia receives more than 50 percent of Japan’s aid.

According to a World Bank study, exports from the sub-Saharan Africa to Asia grew by an average of 11.06 percent annually between 1990 and 2001, while exports to Europe, rose as average of 1.24 percent. Exports from the region ranged from food to livestock to mineral and raw materials.

African delegates pointed out that Africa has a special affinity with Asia given the similar challenges both regions face, among them colonisation and reliance on raw materials for exports.

”Our Asian brothers can help in setting effective systems and facilitating investment,” said Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Monday.

A special plenary session on Tuesday brought Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Thailand, China, and Pakistan, to discuss trade and investment with their African counterparts.

Japan, which pledged one billion dollars in aid over five years on Monday, has set aside 300 million dollars for investment in Africa and for a conference on African investment in 2004.

Nitya Pibulsonggram, special envoy of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said NEPAD will also play a role in facilitating Asian investment. He announced that Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would visit Africa early next year.

On agricultural development, officials at TICAD announced that they will be moving ahead with talks in the World Trade Organisation that broke down in Mexico last month, when developed countries refused to open their markets to agricultural products from developing countries.

”The issue of helping farmers is critical,” pointed out Mohamed Beavogui, director at the International Fund for Agricultural Development. ”The empowerment of our farmers have to be recognised as they comprise 70 percent of our population who live in the rural areas.”

In line with NEPAD’s goals, TICAD also committed support for human security, conflict resolution, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

In a special section for civil society – for the first time 10 non-government groups each from Africa and Japan were invited- delegates acknowledged that activists have had in helping in the search for solutions to Africa’s ills.

Still, Nuno Miguel of KULIMA, a group involved in rural development in Mozambique, said that there was not enough discussion on the real issues such as empowering women farmers, providing them with markets, dealing with famine, refugees, and other pressing issues.

The World Food Programme has warned that millions of people in southern Africa will face massive food shortages as early as next month and has appealed for funds.

Still, despite high-profile conferences like TICAD, maintaining political will in both Africa and the donor community for the continent’s development remains a challenge.

Thus far, even the Japanese government has not yet revealed a schedule for TICAD 4 in 2008. The conference has been held every five years.