What's Wrong With Africa, and What

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What's Wrong With Africa, and Whats the
Fix?February 2011

• DRAFT

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• Introductory Thoughts Africa is the continent
  bad news comes from the land of the Four
  Horsemen of the Apocalypse, yet it is blessed
  with abundant resources and talented people and
  should have a future much brighter than its past.
• US leadership and policy can be one of the
  determining factors.

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Africa Historical Problems

• Colonialism artificial borders mono-economies
  extractive infrastructure bad governance
  examples
• African Poor Governance
• Long-Standing USG policy toward Africa
• Limit Soviet influence (1960s-1990)
• Post 1990
• gtReduce conflicts
• gtIntegrate Africa into Global System, i.e.
  more democratic and prosperous through better
  governance, freer markets, improved basic human
  needs

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The Grim Picture

• 1.3 million deaths annually due to HIV/AIDS.
• 801,000 from malaria in Africa (global 881,000)
• 2 million estimated deaths due to tuberculosis in
  Africa
• 60 of Africans have access to clean water
• 80 of Africans live on less than 2 a
  day.Former UN Secretary- General Kofi said the
  number of people in the world living on less than
  2 a day has not changed in ten years, while the
  number in African has doubled over the past 25
  years.

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Select AF Countries Economies as US States
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Current Approach to Development Aid
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Africa Current Policy Position

• Current Administrations policy on Africa
• Strengthen democracies and economies
• Help resolve conflicts
• Cooperate on transnational issues
• Current policy flaws/successes
• HIV/AIDS support (praised)
• Sudan soft landing (TBD)
• Failure to resolve conflicts (flawed or
  uncertain)
• Good US intentions but uneven implementation

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Africa Recommended Policy Changes

• Stronger and more consistent US leadership in
  engaging international community in responding to
  African conflicts, crises, and underdevelopment.
• USG needs unified and coordinated approach
  towards Africa, and with NGO and business
  community.
• Engage with Africans as genuine partners require
  more of Africans and do more with AF regional
  organizations.

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• Ghanaian Proverb
• Even the longest night is followed by a sunrise