Africa must be honest and sincere with its partners

By Retlaw Matatu Matorwa

It was another feast of three course meals, bed and breakfast, and per-diems discussing and penning solutions for the poor African.

In the city of Valletta in Malta, African leaders signed 1.9 bn Euros financial aid from the European Union the fund is geared towards aiding Africans improve their economic and social conditions. It is envisaged that the financial assistance will help reduce the influx of African migrants into Europe.

Addressing a consortium of African and European representatives, Chairperson of the African Union Dr. Nkosazana Zuma re- affirmed her commitment of the African Union to improve the economic conditions of African states and to curb migration. However she appealed to the European Union not to close borders on legal migrants. Zuma encouraged Africa and Europe to engage in partnerships and deliberations aimed at enhancing industrialization.

Before attempting to analyze how effective the financial package will be in curbing migration, it may be very interesting to interrogate whether or not the African Union had or indeed has any strategy in place to address the migration challenge. In other words, by receiving this aid, how does the AU hope to ensure implementation of the ‘Malta project package’ (a) to improve African economies and (b) curbing Africa-Europe migration?

Africa has been recipient of donor funding, financial reprieve and loans since 1960’s.  Countries such as Malawi, South Sudan, Somalia and others are dependent on donor aid and yet not much in terms of economic progress has been achieved. It is in Africa where some leaders have billions of dollars stashed in banks abroad, enough even to finance their national budgets and yet their countries depend on aid.

Moreso, most if not all African countries have at one point received one kind of aid or another for developmental purposes. Needless to say, billions of aid have never translated to the developmental plans associated with such assistance. The question then is, how different will this assistance be from the one given to the continent before?

It may be wrong to assume that European Union lacks understanding and appreciation of the challenges affecting Africa. Despite the many opportunities in European countries, life is not that rosy to many of our people in the Diasporas. The reality is that Africans do not migrate to Europe by choice; rather it is limited opportunities that compel them to take these treacherous choices.

Seriously, International office for Migration (2015) reports that 86% of immigrants from Sub-Sahara Africa died on the Mediterranean voyage in a bid to reach European soil.

Arguably, African economies are struggling to provide basic necessities, employment and social security for their people. To state the obvious, Africa is suffering structural challenges of both political and economic nature. Absence of democracy and good governance (“government by the people for the people) in many African states is the cause of instability, civil disobedience and wars.

The nonexistence of a respectable constitutional culture, impunity, lack of checks and balances has ushered in corrupt governments further disenfranchising the masses. To make matters worse, inadequate systems ensuring transparency, accountability and civic engagement has inhibited citizens from airing grievances and contributing to national decision making processes.

African governments are popular for investing huge sums of money to thwart opposition politics and discerning voices, rigging election- in fact closing all avenues of expression. In essence, dictatorship, bad governance, corruption, civil wars, hunger and lack of opportunities amongst others are the reasons Africans are running away in numbers out of the continent.

African leaders have no moral authority not to reject the 1.9BN Euros, but accept it for their own selfish interest. The benefits will not trickle down to ordinary Africans feeling the pinch. Instead, this financial reprieve will create other avenues for African leaders to feast in Addis Ababa and fuel corruption. There is no mechanism whatsoever, to demand transparency on how individual nations and citizens are to benefit from his fund. How does this trickle down to affect and change the lives of ordinary Africans? Will this fund usher in a new democratic dispensation in the continent? How will this fund enhance and create citizen space in democratic processes?

At the same time, are our African leaders being honest with their partners? Nkosazana Zuma and her cronies, in their conviction are they truly believing this fund is even closer to resolving challenges related to Africa-Europe migration?

Whilst the positive contribution of aid must be applauded, some African governments are neglecting their roles and obligations. The reality is that aid has not empowered but created dependency syndrome in African states. Ironically, if one observes the bank accounts of leaders in these countries one cannot help wondering what will happen to the 1.9bn Euros.

In conclusion, I argue that Africa does not need aid to solve most of her problems. She needs honesty and sincerity in understanding, articulating and resolving her own challenges.The shameless absence of honesty and sincerity explains why, after many decades of receiving aid we continue believing it will help us deal with migration and other issues. Migration is only a symptom of broader challenges and therefore focusing on it at the expense of addressing the root causes is deceptive.

Ndomafungiro angu!

@Black September 2015