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 Daily
Independent Online.
* Tuesday, June 22, 2004.
When the G8 disappoints G6
By Jude Chiedozie Nwauzor
For those clever enough to
read the handwriting on the wall, this year’s meeting of the Group of
Eight (G8) Industrialized Nations that ended June 10 in Georgia, United
States of America (USA) ought to be the final alibi African leaders need
to ignore the West and look inwards on how to solve the continent’s socio-political
economic problems.
The six African leaders, namely, Olusegun
Obasanjo (Nigeria) Thabo Mbeki (South Africa), Abdullaye Wade (Senegal)
John Kufuor (Ghana), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) and Abdoulazziz Bouteflika
(Algeria), who attended the G8 meeting were invited by the host,
President George Bush, for what the Group described as dialogue with the
world leaders. There was nothing that indicated in the invitation that
the Group would discourse debt forgiveness for Africa.
Surprisingly, the Group of 6 (G6) from
Africa went to the meeting with the same deceitful spirit with which they
are ruling their different countries and a basketful of expectations that
made many Africans believe they will come back with the cheering news
that some of Africa’s debts have been forgiven. In fact, President
Obasanjo and his colleagues were optimistic that their G8 counterparts
would at least come out with a favourable position on the issue of debt
forgiveness and foreign investment among others.
At the summit, which took place amid tight
security on Sea Island in Georgia, with thousands of troops and policemen
sealing off the venue, the African representatives spoke glowingly on why
the world’s big industrialized powers should put their commitments to
African and the developing world into action. It was the third
consecutive summit in which African leaders would be taking part. It was
also the third time they will be disappointed by the body because their
requests for debt forgiveness fell on deaf ears and the meeting ended
without anything to cheer.
Obasanjo has undoubtedly been a strong
proponent of debt forgiveness for Africa, particularly Nigeria. And he
has been convincing African leaders to join in the campaign. Since
assuming office on May 29, 1999, Obasanjo had furiously urged that
Nigeria’s debt be cancelled to pave way for concrete economic development
in the country.
One part of this argument is that
forgiving Africa’s debts will help Africa to stabilize. But there is the
other side of the argument which Obasanjo and his colleagues have not
given deep thought about.
They have not thought of the bad
leadership Africa is unfortunately saddled with. Leadership in Africa is
fraudulent and largely corrupt.
It is not news that most African heads of
government and some other public officials loot their countries treasury
and stash the loot in banks in these industrialized nations.
The world has become a global village as
such as these fraudulent and patently corrupt African leaders are looting
the treasury and stashing them away in foreign accounts, the whole world
including the governments of the G8 that would forgive the debt of a
continent whose money that is stolen and kept in their (G8) custody is
hundred times higher than the amount they (African countries) want the G8
to forgive. This without mincing words is highly laughable.
The debt forgiveness is not something the
G8 cannot do going by the strength of their economy, but they would want
to see a level of truth, transparency, accountability in the way heads of
government run the affairs of Africa. At the current rate of corruption
in Africa, G8’s debt forgiveness would not bring about any appreciable
development to the continent. Rather it would be seen as a new license to
steal more money.
Rationally though it is logically and
morally unthinkable for Mr. ‘A’ to borrow money from ‘B’ to run his
affairs, only for ‘A’ to later ask ‘B’ to forget the money he had
borrowed. But since the issue came up years back and the G8 nations
spared a thought for it, it does not mean that Africa leaders should fold
their hands and depend on the miracle of G8’ debt forgiveness before they
can deliver Africa.
As they wait for the debt relief that may
never come anytime soon, there should be conscious effort to rid Africa
of corruption in government. There is no debt forgiveness that will be
more result oriented than when public officials in Africa see themselves
as servants of the people and not robbers of the collective wealth.
Public officials must be seen to be building the economy and not
destroying it through greed and selfishness. Once the leadership is bad,
it trickles down; that has been the lot of Africa.
The continual claim that the woes of
Africa is because G8 has refused to forgive Africa her debt gives the
impression that Africa has a bunch of leaders that are not competent,
leaders who take permission from fellow leaders before sitting down for
their breakfast, leaders who unreasonably devalue their current because
the G8 says so. That is not the type of leadership Africa needs at this
Panasonic age. Instead of waiting for the G8 to come and carry the burden
of Africa, Africans expect their leaders to look inwards and use the
enormous resources nature bestowed on her to position African on the same
runway with the rest of the world.
It is not a difficult thing to do. After
all, the Libyan Leader, Colonel Monmmar Ghaddaffi, some years back showed that it was possible
to ignore the West and concentrate on internal economic reconstruction,
rehabilitation and development. When other African leaders were waiting
for debt forgiveness as if it was the only way African can move forward,
as if it was the only way Africa can move forward, Ghaddaffi shut the borders
of Libya, ignored threats from the so-called big brothers, endured all
the sanctions that were aimed at destroying the Libyan economy.
Because the Libyan leader felt he had a
mission to serve Libya, he was not distracted by the antics of the West;
rather he concentrated on purging the country of corruption and
strengthened its economy. By the time the storm was over, the Libyan
currency, the Dina, was exchanging almost at one Dina to one dollar. He
was able to achieve this because he rose from slumbers early to realize
that there was no need depending on the West for survival. As
politicians, Obasanjo and other African heads that attended the G8 summit
ought to know by now that the G8 is playing serious politics with the
issue of debt forgiveness.
So why waste time on frivolous issues
every time. It is high time African leaders woke from their deep slumber
and thought of how to use the enormous resources of Africa to develop the
continent.
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