Transcript Dr Hesphina Rukato

Introduction
• This is not a negative presentation;
• As they say: All positive developments taking place on
the continent are duly observed;
• The point of the discussion is that we are underdelivering because, in large part, we lack a leadership
that foresight, decisiveness, and strategic self interest
in the manner in which we manage our resources;
• 50 Years after most countries got political
independence, the majority of Africans still live in
poverty;
• Yet, we all agree that Africa is the richest continent in
the world-or should we say potentially?
• Integrated resource management is one of the key and
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missing links to unleashing Africa’s potential.
YAY!-We are 50 Years Old
African Countries (17) celebrating 50 years of independence in 2010
• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Central African Republic)-There is conflict
• Chad-Host to a signficant number of refugees
• Cote D’ Voire -Peace (not quite there)?
• Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)-there is conflict
• Gabon
• Ghana
• Madagascar-There was unconstitutional take over of government recently
• Mali
• Mauritania- there was a coup recently
• Niger- There was a coup recently
• Nigeria
• Republic of Congo- until recently, there was conflict
• Senegal
• Somalia- No Peace
• Togo
Why is this the case?
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And how are we Faring?
• Africa has recorded a slow rate of progress on most MDGs
• The continent as a whole is unlikely to meet target of reducing under 5
mortality rate by 2015;
• Africa continues to have the world’s highest maternal mortality rates,
• Deforestation is on the rise in Africa
• Overall:
• African governments may have to make difficult choices:
• Limited financial and human resources, as well as time constraints, they
may have to choose between aiming to achieve all the goals by the target
date or to achieve a few that they consider most critical for their
development-yet these choices would undermine integrated resource
planning;
• So, even those countries that are 50 years old have nothing to show in
terms of progress-there is no correlation between delivery and “old age”.
• Even though they have-most of them, vast natural and other resources at
their disposal.
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A New Land Grab in Africa
• Some African Countries are now “involved” in a new
scheme of selling or renting out land to foreign
governments and/or companies for
– Growing food for their populations; and/or
– produce palm oil, sugar cane and other crops that can be used
as alternative sources of fuel in developed countries;
• According to Friends of the Earth, more than five-million
hectares of land across Africa, an area roughly the size of
Denmark, has been sold to European companies in recent
years to meet a growing demand for bio-fuels;
• A separate report says that in Ghana there are companies
from Brazil, Italy, Norway, Israel, China, Germany, The
Netherlands, Belgium and India that are cultivating fields in
the Volta, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Eastern and the Northern
regions of Ghana.
• This is happening at a time when African communities have
no land to meet their food security needs; and
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A New Land Grab in Africa
• The proceeds from such sales are used to meet short-term
developmental gains;
• The approach is shortsighted on both sides, and as far as
climate change is concerned, undermines Africa’s future
ability to reduce its emissions from the same source
• It also leads to deforestation and water shortages;
• There question is: Where is foresight and leadership in all
this? Do these Governments take into account the
development sustainability, and the needs of future
generations who will have to fight battles to get this land
back?
• Unfortunately, the negative impacts of some of these land
deals are irreversible.
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ENERGY: Africa not powering itself,
yet again
• Plans are underway to develop a solar power
project in the Sahara with the aim of piping, clean
and efficient solar energy into the existing
European grid, via Spain.
• The £240 billion venture, brings together big
energy names as Siemens and E.On, and is
designed to meet as much as 15% of Europe's
fast-rising electricity demand by 2050. And the
first electrons could be coming on-stream in as
little as five years' time…
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What is Africa doing?
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Africa not powering itself, yet again
• What does this mean?
– In a few years’ time, Africa will be buying
renewable energy from European countries who
had foresight to tap into Africa’s own resource;
– While Africans are negotiating for “climate change
funding”, the European private sector is investing
into the future;
– And tomorrow-Africans will say-we were cheated;
– Tomorrow’s leaders have to know that the future
is now!
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Climate Change
• Consensus that Africa will be the most negatively affected
by climate change;
• What is Africa doing about it?
– Celebrate the fact that “for the first time, Africa has a common
position on climate change-Copenhagen”
– Based on “urging our partners” to increase funding;
– Not taking into account the practicalities of the continent in
terms of diversity;
– Individual countries still pursue narrow interests;
– Divide and rule tactics and manipulation by the same “partners”
– Energy and climate change are going to be key determinants of
development-and there is need for leadership, research and
links to technology development if Africa is to be competitive?
– The victim approach will not work!
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Human Resource Management
Our people are our most valued resource Really?
• If this is true:
– How come our nurses are gone overseas?
– How come the doctors are practicing elsewhere?
– And how come the teachers no longer want to teach?
– Indeed, how come today –because someone did not foresee the needs
of public servants-they are on strike?
– Why do we continue to talk of lack of capacity in Africa-Yet we have so
many people looking for employment?
• Do we really value our people, or do we continue to train clerks-in many
cases-hence the fact that some of our institutions cannot deliver!
• Do the “leaders” care?
• Maybe not today-but tomorrow’s leaders have to care and invest in
people.
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Integrated approach to resource
management
A country cannot develop itself in a “silo” approach
• Education and human resource development-the education system has to
be clearly linked to the development trajectory of a country. Example: In
the 1990’s we used to joke that if one threw a stone in the street, the
chances were that the stone would hit an unemployed graduate.
• Even though the economic mainstay was agriculture and mining-the
education system overproduced teachers and nurses-who ended up being
unemployed (as well as political scientists)
• The education did not strategically empower the graduates with
agricultural skills to ensure that they could become the backbone of the
agricultural economy of the country. Today, there is a gap between the
agricultural aspirations of the country, land management, and the needs
of the people, let alone the economy. The land is there, but not being
utilised for the benefit of the people.
• Tomorrow’s leaders need to understand the interwoven nature of politics,
economics, and resource management.
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Going forward
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Leadership
Governance
Management
Participation
– Planning must be participatory
– There must be inclusivity and ownership
– Empowering people to use national resources to
transform their destiny
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Conclusion
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Slavery and colonialism have taken a new meaning-we enslave ourselves?
A guy who says “I want to reapply for colonialism”-because my government does
not care;
Why do we call every head of state in Africa a leader? What is a leader today in
Africa?
An accountable leadership?
A leadership with foresight-leading today for tomorrow?
How is it possible that we end up with a Naomi Campbell/ Charles Taylor
Diamond/Situation?
Integrated approach to resource management?
Using resources for the development of the people.
• What is the Thabo Mbeki Institute for Leadership going to
do to make this dream a reality?
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