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Gordon Brown warns Millennium Development Goals could take a century to achieve in Africa

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22 September 2004

On current trends, we will not meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa in ten years time and will fail to meet them in 100 years, according to Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Writing today in New Economy, the quarterly journal of the Institute for Public Policy Research, Brown says the richest countries of the world cannot continue setting targets, failing to meet them and then expecting Africa to trust our word.

Meeting the MDGs in Africa will require substantial additional resources. Brown argues that his proposed International Finance Facility (IFF) could help leverage funding from the international capital markets to raise the amount of overall development aid from $50 billion a year to $100 billion per year, much of it focused on Africa.

"2005 is a defining year for the continent of Africa", says Brown, "the chance to create a sea change in the way rich countries address the needs of the poor".

David Mepham, ippr Associate Director, said:

“Meeting the MDGs requires a New Deal for Africa, where developed countries make major changes to existing policies on trade, aid, investment and debt. Concrete measures are needed to improve the prospects for sustainable development, peace and effective governance in Africa"

In the September issue of New Economy:

Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer, argues that 2005 is a defining moment for the continent, that the twentieth anniversary of Live Aid and the UK’s forthcoming presidency of the G8 create the opportunity and the obligation to secure greater progress in Africa. He makes a persuasive case for creating an International Finance Facility (IFF), a way of leveraging additional resources from the international capital markets by securing binding future commitments from aid donors.

K. Y. Amoako, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa, demonstrates why Africa needs what he calls ‘capable states’, to create an enabling environment for the private sector and to secure political stability. He quotes recent research by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) that suggests greater democracy, more openness and accountability and better economic management in many African countries over the last few years.

Richard Dowden, Director, Royal African Society, focuses on the African state. Too many western policymakers, he says, lack a decent understanding of African history, culture or context. He argues that ‘partnership’ needs to be rethought if the international community is to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

Stephen Ellis, Senior Researcher, African Studies Centre, Netherlands, looks at conflict within Africa and considers its historical roots. While Africa’s history has been marked by many large-scale and prolonged conflicts, he sees some positive recent developments, including the role of the AU in supporting the peace process in Burundi.

David Mepham, Associate Director, ippr and Andy McLean, Deputy Director, Saferworld, address the role of conventional arms proliferation in fuelling conflicts in Africa. They show that many of these arms are being transferred by arms brokers and traffickers, some of them from G8 countries, and that much tighter controls are needed to curb this deadly trade.

Bronwen Manby, Director, AfriMAP, Open Society Institute and Chidi Odinkalu, Senior Legal Officer for Africa, Open Society Justice Initiative, explore a different dimension to the issue of conflict in Africa, the alleged tension between the demands of peace and those of justice. While a difficult balance may sometimes need to be struck, they argue that it is the persistence of impunity that often creates the conditions for the outbreak or recurrence of violence in Africa. Much of the debate about Africa presupposes the need for big increases in development aid.

Alex de Waal, Director, Justice Africa, does not dispute the need for aid, but he raises tough questions about the aid relationship and about the policies of the International Financial Institutions. He calls for a new model of aid, based on greater openness and accountability.

Alvaro Bermejo, Executive Director, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, argues that Africa and the international community need to do far more to tackle HIV and AIDS. He says this unprecedented crisis requires additional investment, better coordination, support for African healthcare systems and stronger political leadership.

Anna Tibaijuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Human Settlements Programme, looks at the issues of food security, trade and the environment. She criticises the International Financial Institutions for their relative neglect of agriculture and developed countries for the protectionist barriers that they erect to African agricultural exporters.

Vanessa Herringshaw, Acting Head of Economic Policy and Private Sector Adviser, Save the Children, considers the roles and responsibilities of the international extractive industries when they invest in Africa. She acknowledges the value of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), but calls for a clearer and more robust framework of corporate accountability, to ensure that Africa’s resources bring benefits to ordinary Africans.

Monica Juma, Senior Analyst, SaferAfrica, provides an overview of the work of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), a body established by NEPAD to promote better governance amongst participating states. She argues that the success or failure of NEPAD will depend on the outcome of the APRM. Another new mechanism, designed to ensure greater respect for human rights, is the African Court.

Godfrey Byaruhanga, Researcher, Amnesty International, suggests that the Court can help counter impunity for human rights abuses across Africa, but that it will need greater resources and political commitment from African leaders.

Kwame Karikari, Executive Director, Media Foundation for West Africa, Associate Professor, University of Ghana, assesses the state of media freedom across Africa. He argues that there has been a big expansion in independent media outlets and a growing assertiveness on the part of Africa’s independent press and media.

New Economy is available from Blackwell Publishing on 01865 778315 or customerservices@oxon.blackwellpublishing.com

Notes to editors:

Review copies of New Economy are available from the ippr media office

ippr Africa project seeks to examine issues around state weakness and aims to help promote more effective governance in Africa. Specifically, it addresses the extent to which the policies of developed countries (particularly the G8) may be hindering rather than helping to tackle weak governance in Africa, on issues like aid, arms exports, HIV/AIDS, investment and business regulation, corruption and revenue transparency. For more see: www.ippr.org/international

Contacts:

Richard Darlington, ippr Media Manager, 020 7470 6125 / 07971 851 145 / r.darlington@ippr.org

Matt Jackson, ippr Media & Web Officer, 020 7339 0007 / 07753 719 289 / m.jackson@ippr.org

David Mepham, Associate Director, 020 7470 0021 / 07951 043 672 / d.mepham@ippr.org