African Leaders to Lay Strategies for Continents' Growth

By Eddyson Lugangwa Posted 16 October 2006 @ 09:33 am EET     Print     Reprint     E-Mail     Comments

Nairobi (IBTimes.com) - Africa is experiencing one of its strongest growth periods ever but the continent is still plagued with war, sickness, famine and corrupt, despotic leaders in many nations. The time has come for dramatic change. A globalised world waits for no country, region or continent not determined to be successful.

To help propel that change forward three African presidents from Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia (former president Kenneth Kaunda), as well as Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa and some of the continent’s top business leaders will gather in Sandton from 18 to 19 October to strategise new ways to revolutionise the old and advance the new.

Everest Ekong, said that in the last 15 years African leadership had begun asserting itself in more positive ways. He says there has “never been a better time for Africa to flourish. “An increasing number of new political and business leaders are standing tall. On the business front, African economies are now reaping the fruits of increased interest in the continent’s exports.”

The range of speakers has been selected to deliberately provoke debate and find solutions. Some speakers will be fiercely critical of African leadership. Tanzania’s Ali Mufuruki, chairman of Infotech Investment Group, will submit that, he sees “us as being pretty good at telling the story that Africans are unable to solve their own problems and the outside world, ever so sympathetic, is becoming very good at believing this blatant lie”.

He disagrees with South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki that Africans have a “sense of rage that will guarantee Africa’s advance towards its renaissance. Granted there is no shortage of angry people in Africa, but will rage alone do it? How about some hard truths about our own failures? A reflection about the failure of leadership in Africa?”

South Africa’s Reuel Khoza, chairman of Nedbank and former head of Eskom is also powerfully critical of poor leadership in business and governments and says leaders should: “stand firmly on issues of morality and values and be characterized by honesty and probity, this is not an idle concept, it is about being beyond reproach. And then they must address hunger and poverty, care for the poor and down and out.”

In assessing the forces motivating change aside from international organisations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, growing democratisation across the continent is seeing unprecedented pressure coming from a strengthening civil society in many countries.

Chris Kirubi, chairman of Haco Industries in Kenya will argue too that increasing media freedom in African countries is playing a positive role in pushing for reform. “It is no longer possible to ignore newspaper articles on corruption and other issues that afflict society. Most these issues rotate around the economic conditions of the people. Media houses have also become emboldened and their quest for accountable government policies has rendered government intimidations almost worthless. Most African leaders who still possess enormous powers find it difficult to cower their recently empowered citizens.”

Yvonne Johnston, CEO of South Africa’s International Marketing Council is urging Africans to stop harping on about Afro-pessimism and instead of complaining about negativity about the continent in a catch 22 that sees negativity repeated over and over – she suggests we need, ourselves, to be first, and more original, about highlighting the positive. “We should rebrand individual countries and highlight their successes, you can’t go out and say Africa is fabulous, but you can say invest in South Africa’s hydroelectric power, enjoy Kenya’s tourism, Rwanda’s beauty. You’d never brand Europe as one place; France is totally different to its neighbour, Spain.”

Mahadi Buthelezi of Women for Growth will argue that entrepreneurship has to be encouraged. She points out that “South Africa has an estimated 600 000 small and medium businesses (SME’s) but too few have been started by black entrepreneurs.” But there is still a need for governments to talk less and do more. Tshidi Mokgabudi of KPMG will argue that South Africa’s educational system is failing its responsibilities to students and the economy, especially when it comes to maths and science education. Ekong says: “African leaders must act now to convert the economic transformation of the continent into tangible, sustainable gains.”