What's Wrong With Africa, and What’s the Fix? February 2011

What's Wrong With Africa, and What’s the Fix?February 2011

DRAFT

• Introductory Thoughts: Africa is the continent bad news comes from; the land of the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” yet it is blessed with abundant resources and talented people and should have a future much brighter than its past.

• US leadership and policy can be one of the determining factors.

Africa: Historical Problems• Colonialism: artificial borders; mono-

economies; extractive infrastructure; bad governance examples

• African Poor Governance

• Long-Standing USG policy toward Africa:– Limit Soviet influence (1960s-1990)– Post 1990:

>Reduce conflicts;

>Integrate Africa into Global System, i.e. more democratic and prosperous through better governance, freer markets, improved basic human needs

The Grim Picture• 1.3 million deaths annually due to HIV/AIDS.

• 801,000 from malaria in Africa (global 881,000)

• 2 million estimated deaths due to tuberculosis in Africa

• 60% of Africans have access to clean water

• 80% of Africans live on less than $2 a day.

Former UN Secretary- General Kofi said the number of people in the world living on less than $2 a day has not changed in ten years, while the number in African has doubled over the past 25 years.

Select AF Countries’ Economies as US States

Current Approach to Development Aid

Africa: Current Policy Position• Current Administration’s policy on Africa:

– Strengthen democracies and economies

– Help resolve conflicts

– Cooperate on transnational issues

• Current policy flaws/successes:– HIV/AIDS support (praised)

– Sudan “soft landing” (TBD)

– Failure to resolve conflicts (flawed or uncertain)

– Good US intentions but uneven implementation

Africa – Recommended Policy Changes– Stronger and more consistent US leadership

in engaging international community in responding to African conflicts, crises, and underdevelopment.

– USG needs unified and coordinated approach towards Africa, and with NGO and business community.

– Engage with Africans as genuine partners; require more of Africans; and do more with AF regional organizations.

Ghanaian Proverb: “Even the longest night is followed

by a sunrise”