World Bank Head Speaks Out on Why Canada is Needed in Africa

by Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank

At a time when Canadians are rightly concerned with ensuring the accountability and effectiveness of their aid dollars, it is critical for them to challenge three of the most common myths about Africa's development: Africa is hopeless; aid to Africa is money wasted; and Africa can solve its own problems.

Africa's problems are admittedly vast and complex. The statistics are all too familiar. An African child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. HIV-AIDS has claimed the lives of two million Africans in the past year and left many more orphans. Nearly 50 million African children are still not in school, and more than three-quarters of Africans have no access to electricity.

Since joining the World Bank, I have visited 11 African countries and seen many of the continent's challenges first-hand. But I have also seen real signs of progress. The fact is Africa is becoming a continent of hope. Conflicts are diminishing and small businesses are emerging. Over the past 10 years, 17 countries, with about one-third the population of the subcontinent, have sustained annual real growth of 4 per cent or better. Some have averaged as much as 7 per cent or 8 per cent. Growth is still short of where it needs to be, but it has allowed Mozambique, for example, to nearly double primary school enrolment from 40 per cent to 70 per cent over the past decade. Signs of progress like these are striking changes from the past and demonstrate the possibility of a hopeful future for Africa.

A second misconception is that corrupt African governments squander development aid. There have certainly been instances in the past where development assistance has been wasted. Thankfully, however, Africans themselves are increasingly raising their voices to ensure such sad mistakes are not repeated. A new generation of leaders is emerging in Africa who recognize their responsibility to their people. They need and deserve the support of rich countries.

Recently, the people of Liberia had a chance to vote freely for the first time in many years, after a successful United Nations intervention brought an end to a terrible civil war. They chose a candidate committed to economic reform and fighting corruption, who is now the first female president of an African country, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

As donors, we all have a responsibility to ensure leaders such as Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf are given the resources they need to govern and to keep their promises of a better future. More and more governments are accepting the limitations laid down in their constitutions, and more and more leaders are peacefully handing over the reins of power at the end of their terms. Increasingly, Africans are saying they cannot live with corruption, and their leaders are listening, making development assistance more effective as a result.

A third myth is the belief that if African governments simply did the right thing, they wouldn't need any foreign aid at all. But even the most successful countries, such as South Korea and China, have needed help from donors. South Korea received more than $20-billion from the World Bank alone over four decades, and China received approximately $45-billion from the World Bank over a 20-year period. Africa needs the same kind of help and, perhaps, even more.

Crumbling African infrastructure has held back business expansion and opportunities to compete in international markets. Because of poor roads, ports in disrepair and unreliable electricity supplies, entrepreneurs in Africa pay more than three times what their Chinese counterparts pay to transport a cargo container the same distance. Exporters in Rwanda who ship fresh produce to Europe lose 5 per cent or more of their output when refrigeration fails because of unreliable electricity. Africans need access to global markets and donor funding helps them get it.

Canada has consistently demonstrated its commitment to Africa. It has been at the forefront of international efforts to reduce the debt burdens of the world's poorest countries. Under the Canadian Debt Initiative, it forgave debt owed by 10 African governments.

Canada is also a world leader in programs for tuberculosis, a disease that kills more than 500,000 Africans annually. It is a leader in basic education, providing support to national education programs in a dozen African partner countries. Canada has been very active in building peace, stability, and humanitarian reform. It plays an important role as one of the largest donors to the African Union's mission in Sudan.

Still greater Canadian support is needed to ensure continued progress in Africa. Increased assistance to Africa is critical to help address issues important to Canadians, such as government transparency, anti-corruption, and civil society participation.

We cannot afford to turn our backs on the pain and poverty that consumes entire nations and communities. It is up to Africans to continue bringing about the momentous changes needed to conquer poverty. But Africans need donor countries such as Canada, in collaboration with development agencies like the World Bank, to give them the hand up that they deserve.

This article originally entitled Africa's undeserved bad rap; There are real signs of progress and Canada must help ensure it continues was printed in the Globe and Mail (Canada) on March 2, 2007, and Le Devoir on March 5, 2007.

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