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Leaders Forum emphasises action and delivery Posted Thu, 03 Mar 2005
After two days of deliberations at the Sandton Sun Intercontinental Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa, delegates attending the second annual African
Leaders Forum from 13-15 October, 2004, identified the urgent need for a new, committed and visionary leadership to confront the vexing challenges
facing the African continent
The Forum, convened by Business in Africa
Magazine, and co-sponsored by Eskom, Honeywell
Solutions, National Ports Authority of South
Africa, MTN and the South African Broadcasting
Corporation Africa (SABC-Africa), took its cue from this year�s
theme, �Leadership for Prosperity� in calling for leadership that
is proactive, rather than reactive, if the continent is to reverse the
growing tide of socio-economic disintegration that has plagued
its people for far too long.
Delegates resolved that there is a need to develop a concrete
program of action, with service delivery to the African people
as the fundamental
preoccupation of public and private sector
actors. While it is important to diagnose and analyse the
continent�s woes, the focus should shift towards attaining deliverables
that have meaningful and practical impact on the lives of
ordinary Africans.
In taking stock of recent developments on the continent,
delegates acknowledged the gradual emergence of a �visionary�
African leadership, particularly in the past decade. This crop of
leaders, have worked tirelessly to shape a �new� developmental
paradigm in which the continent and its people play a central
role in their own affairs.
The adoption of the New Partnership for Africa�s Development
(NEPAD) framework and the inauguration of the Africa
Union (AU) in 2001 and 2002 respectively, are excellent examples
of the new and visionary leadership that has engendered
hope and determination amongst Africa�s peoples. This, it was
acknowledged, has created a momentum that the continent is
indeed on the path of
transforming itself into a mosaic of political
economies that would work collectively for the commongood,
thereby by shedding the image of Africa as a �continent in
fragments.�
However, to translate this �hope� and �determination� into
practically deliverable outcomes that would benefit ordinary
Africans, delegates emphasised that African leadership should
encompass the following characteristics:
� As the cradle of human civilisation, Africans and African
leaders in particular, must develop a sense of self confidence,
pride and efficacy in their ability to overcome adversity.
As a corollary to that, African leaders must do everything
humanly possible to ensure that the locus of control over the
continent�s affairs is African.
� Integrity and ethical conduct are key to enhancing good
leadership and Africa needs that now, more than ever before.
� Good leadership is all about stewardship. Good leaders are
those who listen well, have a sense of
humanism and go the
extra mile to strengthen the relationship between the rulers
and the ruled.
� Good leadership must have the ability and willingness to
enforce the rule of law, which is anchored in the process of
democratisation and good governance.
Delegates acknowledged that in the past decade, there has been some positive
shifts towards the institutionalisation of democratic values and principles in the continent, and this needs to be built on. In addition to these challenges, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, exacerbated by endemic poverty are two key problems identified by delegates at the 2004 Forum. Given the above, the 2004 Forum
therefore focused on coming up with practical solutions geared
toward tackling the problems head on. There is a need to quickly develop a plan of action with specific deadlines - short, medium and long-term - to deal with these problems. Among the pressing challenges identified are the following:
� Endemic poverty remains a
major obstacle to Africa�s developmental
aspirations. The need to close the widening gap
between �haves� and �have-nots� couldn�t be more urgent in
today�s African socio-economic landscape.
� Unemployment among Africa�s majority population calls for
urgent attention and begs the question whether enough is
being done to develop the necessary skills required for the
continent to maximise its full potential in a highly competitive
global environment.
� The unavailability of electricity and power in the vast majority
of African countries is counterproductive to the continent�s
development aspirations and hence must be tackled.
� Global forces beyond the continent�s control are a serious
cause for concern. This is particularly crucial for issues such
as trade and debt relief, which have tremendous implications
for the continent and its people.
� The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to pose grave challenges
for socio-economic progress in Africa. As a
�moving
target� this disease must be tackled head-on and defeated.
proposed by delegates, including the following:
� African countries need to promote intra-Africa trade as a
panacea for overcoming its many challenges. In this regard,
NEPAD is seen as vehicle to achieve this.
� To change the negative image of Africa portrayed by the
international media, African political and business leaders
must establish a credible medium through which the continent
can be effectively marketed. An authentic African news
gathering and disseminating organisation, controlled by Africans
telling their own stories, would be an effective means of
countering the negatives stereotypes of the continent, dished
out on a daily basis by the international media.
The way forward
The organisers now have a responsibility and duty now to engage
well meaning partners in business, politics, academia, civil
society both in the continent and
beyond so that the two days
of hard work dedicated by delegates is translated into practically
deliverable policy outcomes. The NEPAD Business Group and
other African institutions will be invited by the organisers to
work as partners in this endeavor.
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