“Det er med dyb undren, vi læser listen over medlemmer af regeringens nye Afrika-kommission”, skriver den danske NGO, Afrika Kontakt, i en presseudtalelse tirsdag.
Kommissionen er nedsat for at arbejde med en række emner, der er vigtige for den danske regerings fremtidige indsats overfor Afrika, og på den baggrund virker listen mildest talt uforståelig, hedder det.
Kvinders rettigheder, kvinders ligestilling og kvindernes centrale rolle i familie og samfund er helt centrale emner i relation til kontinentets fremtid. Det virker derfor bizart, at der kun er fundet plads til 4 kvinder i kommissionen, hvoraf den ene er udviklingsminister Ulla Tørnæs.
Hvor er de afrikanske kvinder, der i årevis har kæmpet for at holde sammen på det fattige kontinent? spørger Afrika Kontakt.
Næste iøjnefaldende mangel er de græsrødder, civilsamfundsorganisationer, der IKKE er repræsenteret i Afrika-kommissionen, anføres det.
Fra Afrika er der ikke fundet plads til en eneste repræsentant for kontinents utallige folkelige organisationer som arbejder med fred og konfliktløsning, faglige rettigheder, jordfordeling, hiv/aids og andre centrale udviklingsemner, anfører NGOen, der har specialiseret sig i netop Afrika og bistand dertil.
Et af kommisionens medlemmer, Dr. Greg Mills fra Sydafrika, er ganske vist hverken politiker eller forretningsmand. Han er direktør for Brenthurst Fonden, grundlagt af mineejerdynastiet Oppenheimer.
Fonden bedriver sikkert godgørende arbejde, men kan ikke tages alvorlig som repræsentant for de millioner af organiserede afrikanere, der kæmper for et bedre liv for sig selv og deres landsmænd.
Vi ved, at det er Afrikas ungdom, som bærer kimen til fremtidens krige eller fremtidens udvikling. Afrika er et ungt kontinent og millioner af unge lever i dag uden perspektiver for fremtiden der, hvor de er vokset op. Det er disse unge vi ser, som illegale immigranter i Europa og det er dem vi ser som børnesoldater i blodige krige.
Men Afrikas unge er IKKE repræsenteret i kommission, end ikke pr. stedfortræder i form af en ekspert eller en organisation, fremfører Afrika Kontakt.
Til gengæld har mange af kommissionens medlemmer en fortid i Verdensbanken, en institution “der i årevis har udrettet store ødelæggelser i Afrika gennem påtvungne strukturtilpasningsprogrammer”.
Vi undres over denne sammensætning af Afrika-kommissionen. Den er blevet nedsat for at få nytænkning og visioner på bordet. Men med den sammensætning af medlemmer, frygter vi, at det bliver meget vanskeligt for Afrika-kommissionen at leve op til sin egen målsætning, hedder det videre.
Regeringen har selvfølgelig allerede en politisk dagsorden for Afrika med liberalisering som centralt emne. Man kunne få mistanke om, at den ensidige udnævnelse af liberalister med baggrund i Verdensbanken er foretaget for at blåstemple regeringens politik. Så måske er der alligevel ikke så meget at undre sig over, lyder det.
“Vi håber, at Afrika-kommissionens medlemmer vil være i stand til at abstrahere sig fra deres ideologiske og politiske arvegods og dermed blive i stand til at tænke nyt og visionært om løsninger af Afrikas problemer. I modsat fald bliver kommissionens arbejde spild af både deltagernes tid og de penge, der bruges på kommissionen, kunne have været brugt til at skabe udvikling”, slutter udtalelsen fra Afrika Kontakts Forretningsudvalg
Yderligere oplysninger hos informationsmedarbejder. Morten Nielsen, 35 35 92 32 eller 25 39 65 57 (Afrika Kontakt hed indtil 1. december 2007 Sydafrika Kontakt)
Udenrigsministeriet har udsendt følgende medlemsliste over kommissionen:
Chairman of the Commission
Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen (Chairman, Denmark)
Danish Prime Minister (V)
Member of the Commission (alphabetically)
Mr. Christian Friis Bach (Denmark)
International Director of DanChurchAid since 2005.
Mr. Klaus Aagaard Bustrup (Denmark)
A member of the Danish Board for International Development Cooperation since 1990, Mr. Bustrup was announced Chairman in the early 2008.
Dr. Robert Calderisi (Canada)
Economic consultant, teacher and writer. Mr. Calderisi has served at the World Bank in Washington DC in a wide range of positions including as Country Director for Central Africa, World Bank Spokesman for Africa, Manager in the Institutional Change and Strategy Department and as Chief of the World Bank Regional Mission in Western Africa. Mr. Calderisi has published several books, amongst these: “The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn’t Working” and most recently “Faith in Development: Partnership between the World Bank and the Churches of Africa”.
Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas (Ghana)
President of ECOWAS. Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas of Ghana has served as President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) since February 2002. Prior to his election, Dr. Chambas was a Member of Parliament of Ghana and held various positions, namely Deputy Foreign Minister, Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee amongst others. Mr. Chambas holds degrees in Political Science from the University of Ghana, Legon (B. A. 1973) and Cornell University, Ithaca New York (M. A. 1977; PhD 1980) and a law degree from Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio (J. D. 1984).
Ms. Luísa Dias Diogo (Mozambique)
Prime Minister of the Republic of Mozambique since February 2004. Ms. Diogo represents the party FRELIMO, which has led the Government of Mozambique since independence in 1975. Prior to her nomination as the first female Prime Minister of Mozambique Ms. Diogo served as Minister of Planning and Finance (1994-2005). With a Master’s degree in Financial Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, in 1992, Ms. Diogo worked in Mozambique’s Ministry of Finance as Deputy Finance Minister.
Mr. Mo Ibrahim (Sudan)
Chairman of Celtel and member of the Board of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Dr Mo Ibrahim is an expert in mobile communications and the founder of mobile communication giant Celtel, which operates mobile networks in 16 African countries. Mr. Ibrahim administrates the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, an initiative aimed at recognizing achievement in African leadership and stimulating debate on good governance across sub-Saharan Africa and the world. Dr Ibrahim is also Founding Chairman of Satya Capital Ltd, an investment company focused on opportunities in Africa.
Dr. Donald Kaberuka (Rwanda)
President of the African Development Bank. Dr. Donald Kaberuka of Rwanda has served as President of the African Development Bank since 2005. Prior to this, Dr. Kaberuka served as Minister of Finance and Economic Planning for 7 years in his native Rwanda, where he oversaw the implementation of major reforms. Before joining the Government, Dr. Kaberuka worked in banking and international trade. Dr. Kaberuka has an educational background in economy and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Glasgow.
President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (Tanzania)
President of the United Republic of Tanzania since 2005. After a career in the Tanzanian military lieutenant colonel Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete was nominated Member of Parliament in 1988. During his political career Mr. Kikwete has held the positions as Minister for Energy and Minerals and Water Developments, Minister of Finance and, until the 2005 presidential election, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro (Tanzania)
Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro of Tanzania took office as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations on 1 February 2007. Before joining the UN, Dr. Migiro was Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the United Republic of Tanzania (from 2006-2007) and as Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children. Prior to Government service, Dr. Migiro was senior lecturer and Head of Department at the Faculty of Law at the University of Dar-es-Salaam. Dr. Migiro has also served as a member of Tanzanias Law Reform Commission in 1997 and as a member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 2000.
Dr. Greg Mills (South Africa)
Director of the Johannesburg-based Brenthurst Foundation established in 2005 by the Oppenheimer family to develop strategies for improved economic performance in Africa. Mr. Mills has taught at the Universities of the Western Cape and Cape Town, and was the National Director of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) from 1996-2005 and SAIIA Director of Studies from 1994-96. A recipient of numerous international distinctions, awards and fellowships, Mr. Mills serves on various international boards and is a member of the Council of the Royal United Services Institute based in London. Furthermore Mr. Mills is the author of more than 25 books and several hundred articles in local and international journals and newspapers.
Dr. Lauritz Holm-Nielsen (Denmark)
Dr. Lauritz Holm-Nielsen has been Rector at the University of Aarhus since 2005. Prior to this Dr. Nielsen served as Lead Higher Education Specialist for the World Bank (1993-2005).
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Nigeria)
Managing Director of the World Bank since 2007. Ms. Okonjo-Iweala served as Nigerian Minister of Finance from 2003 until her appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs in June 2006. Prior to her ministerial career in Nigeria, Ms. Okonjo-Iweala was Vice-President and Corporate Secretary of the World Bank Group. She holds a Master Degree from Harvard University (1977) and a Ph.D. in Regional Economics and Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Additionally Ms. Okonjo-Iweala is on the Board of Directors of the World Resources Institute and has the founded the Nigerian NGO NOI Global Consulting, which collaborates with Gallup Organization on representing the Nigerian public opinion on social and economic issues.
Mr. Jean Ping (Gabon)
Mr. Jean Ping of Gabon was elected Chairman of the Commission of the African Union in February 2008. Mr. Ping has served as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and la Francophonie of the Gabonese Republic since 1999, prior to which he held a variety of positions at the ministerial level, including as Minister of Planning, Environment and Tourism. He has been a Member of Parliament since 1996. In 2005 Mr. Ping served as President of the fifty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Ms. Ulla Tørnæs (Denmark)
Dansk udviklingsminister (V)
Mr. Koen Vervaeke (Belgium)
European Union Special Representative and Head of the European Commission Delegation to the African Union. During his diplomatic career Mr. Vervaeke has held a wide range of positions within the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including as a political counsellor at the Belgian embassies in Bujumbura and Tunis and most recently as Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region. In the General Secretariat of the EU Council, Mr. Vervaeke was Head of the Africa Unit and served as advisor to the EU Secretary General/High Representative on African affairs.
