Will we ever see a Merkel Plan for Africa?

Richard M Kavuma

As the G8 Summit cruises into its final 24 hours, the media centre at Kühlungsborn has been bustling with activists from international pressure groups. One of today's most moving speeches came from Kumi Naidoo, chairman of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty.

Naidoo told his listeners that should the Summit fail to help Africans, it would not be the failure of ordinary Germans, Japanese or Americans but the failure of their leaders.

This Summit is particularly important for Chancellor Angela Merkel, he said, because it was in Germany in 1884 that the partition of Africa was hammered out. Africa is still suffering the consequences.

Perhaps Merkel now offers Germany a chance to correct that historical wrong.

Merkel might also remember that had Germany not received help in the form of the Marshall Plan after the Second World War, it wouldn't be among the world's richest countries now.

So, can Merkel come up with a "Merkel Plan" to save Africa? Moreover, said South African Naidoo, would the G8 be dragging its feet if the skin colour of those suffering was "not so dark"?

Of course playing these emotive cards is very clever. But I don't think they will succeed in shifting the position of G8 leaders. The G8 Research Group agrees. It isn't expecting any new commitments to Africa, just a reaffirmation of the promises of 2005.

But not even that can be banked on: regarding AIDS, activists are worried that the G8 will fall back on the pledges made at Gleneagles. While the promise then was for near-universal access to treatment by 2010, donors are expected to only commit to putting some five million people on treatment "over the next few years".

African activists have been making other pronouncements that are unlikely to make any impression on the G8. Charity Musamba from Zambia, for instance, urged donors to drop all conditionalities on aid. And in the same sentence she noted that "of course" the activists must put pressure on their countries on issues like accountability.

Paradoxically Africa - the world's poorest continent - is actually quite rich. It is suffering partly because it has been exploited and marginalised by the West. And to add insult to injury the political classes in many African countries continue to rob their citizens of a chance to lead better lives.

Comments

[Beth Hansen]

Perhaps once Africa takes measures to curb its population growth, which is the direct cause of its poverty, the G8 nations will be less likely to feel they are throwing their money away, and be more likely to contribute.

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African activists have been making other pronouncements that are unlikely to make any impression on the G8. Charity Musamba from Zambia, for instance, urged donors to drop all conditionalities on aid. And in the same sentence she noted that "of course" the activists must put pressure on their countries on issues like accountability.gucci outlet

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[Sandals Online]

Cease to struggle and you cease to live.

[Paul Smith]

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