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Africa must 'Stop blaming the west for Africa's woes'- Kenyan official
Thu. July 31, 2008 02:45 am.- By Bonny Apunyu. -
(SomaliNet) Kenyan High Commissioner Tom Amolo has said Africa should stop blaming the West for her woes and implement means of delivering good governance to the citizen of the continent.
The Kenyan High Commissioner was addressing delegates at the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) Ambassadorial Forum on Tuesday.
The forum looked at the challenge of good governance in Africa and meeting African Union (AU) and New Partnership for Africa's Development's (Nepad) goals.
The Kenyan official lauded Tshwane Metro council for trying to bring the "African street closer to African practitioners".
"The combined positive benefits of an interaction may not be felt immediately but will linger, take seed and flourish in the hearts and minds, not only of our grassroots, but also the political elite and economic elites that run the country," he said.
Amolo said Africans should stop blaming the West for Africa's problems.
"Without good governance we cannot create wealth and reduce poverty," he said.
He said what worked in Kenya would not necessarily be the ideal solution for the problems of other countries because it could result in situations where leaders who had lost elections end up negotiating their way back into power.
Amolo said Africa's electorate had entrusted their academic, political, business and diplomatic sisters and brothers - their elite - to consider and act on their behalf.
"Good governance means that we, the elite, should manage their affairs impartially, efficiently, effectively, without corruption, in order to change their lives for the better.
"It also means that they should periodically select their leaders in open, free, fair elections in an environment free of intimidation and pick the leaders they really want. Not (leaders who are) imposed or who negotiate (themselves) into power," he said.
Sandile Zeka, AISA's sustainable development research specialist, said Nepad was based on three dimensions of governance: economic and corporate governance; political governance; and peace and security.
He said in order to overcome some of Africa's challenge, Nepad had to strengthen its African Peer review Mechanism (APRM). "It should ensure that it implicates key benchmarks of good governance, including democracy, respect for human rights and the adoption of sound economic policies," he said.
AISA's executive director of research Dr Monica Juma, said Africa struggled to put in place mechanisms to pursue sustainable development, peace and security.
Juma said this was despite good governance being built on the pillars of the African Renaissance and recognised by the AU and Nepad.-Pretoria News
News Category: Africa
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