The paper has argued that NEPAD has its origins in the African Renaissance discourse, which was in vogue between 1994-99. The paper argued that, while critics saw this call for an African Renaissance as a shallow vision devoid of content, in reality it was a simple call for action. It was an appeal for African leaders to commit themselves to clean and accountable governance, democracy and to respect the basic tenets of human rights. It was a quest to reintegrate Africa back into the global economy through free-market dictates.
The paper further argued that NEPAD became the plan of action of the African Renaissance. NEPAD rightly accepted that development is impossible in the absence of true democracy, respect for human rights, peace and good governance. Therefore, with NEPAD, those members who have signed up and are committed undertakes to respect the `new' African standards of democracy, including political pluralism, allowing for the existence of several political parties, workers' unions, and fair, open and democratic elections that are periodically organised.
The paper posited that it is not only Africans that would have to show seriousness in committing themselves to new commitments and obligations. The countries of the industrialised North would also need to respond to Africa's willingness and efforts to put in place these aspects of responsible government by opening their markets for Africa's basic trading commodities and to help end the continent's vast debt burden of some $300 billion. However, it came as little surprise when many such powerful states failed to respond in a really serious way to the call for 'genuine' partnership.
Just like we should appreciate that NEPAD is an extension of the African Renaissance - a concretisation of the African Renaissance, in essence the vehicle through which the renaissance would be delivered - so the challenge of implementing NEPAD will be a long and sustained challenge. While NEPAD is based on a straightforward deal, a trade-off as it wishes to end the dialogue of the deaf by locking both African leaders and G-8 and other industrialised powers into a partnership, realising this partnership is by no means guaranteed. There clearly is a need for a pact: that in exchange for Africa holding itself politically and economically accountable, and thereby creating conditions for the attraction of foreign capital to the continent, the industrialised powers will give Africa greater access to its markets, reduce and more ideally end the massive debt burden, and guarantee greater AID flows to Africa. Such resources would help to build infrastructure, revamp health and education systems that the continent so badly needs. Indeed, African leaders have determined that it will require an astronomical 7% economic growth rate per annum across the board on top of a whopping $64 billion to help turn the continent around.
But there is a crucial point that many analysts in this country and abroad tend to miss conveniently. It is not only African states that will hold one another accountable. The northern (white) states will also make new commitments to help end deadly poverty in Africa. They too need to be held accountable. It is not only Africa that will put in place peer review criteria in which the peers (leaders) will constantly review (accountability) each other. Here are the questions that we have to answer?
Let's now conclude with some questions. How will Africans hold each other accountable? Can governments really be trusted to hold each other accountable? Who will hold the north accountable? What about power politics in Africa? Will this not again bedevil this project? Can Mbeki and his NEPAD partners take most African states along with them? Will we not see that some states will inevitable form counter-NEPAD alliances; particularly those that are threatened by the governance and democracy contours of NEPAD? How do we ensure that the northern powers go beyond rhetoric and beef up commitments with real plans?
These questions should not be avoided. They merely suggest that the real work only now starts. Instead of raising unrealistic expectations we should realise that turning the African tanker will be a very long road with many roadblocks and potholes.
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