adminsustainable economic growth, chairman of the Africa Progress Panel and former United Nations Secretarygeneral Koffi Annan has said.
Launching the 2011 Africa progress report at the World Economic Forum on Africa here yesterday, Mr Annan said the panel had noted that effective crosssectional partnerships were key to economic growth. This was particularly at a time when Europe and the United States were currently ceased with challenges in their own spheres arising from the global economic crisis.
The effects of the crisis presently constrained their ability to lend a hand to the continent.
“Governments need to find new ways to bridge the financing gaps. In reaching out and working together, they can achieve more,” said Mr Annan.
“Partnerships can transform entire sectors of the economy and as Africans we should really harness the potential of partnerships and see what more we can achieve through these.”
Zimbabwe has, in recent years formulated strategies to foster publicprivate sector partnerships to reactivate sectors of the economy that include infrastructure development, policy formulation and the creation of winwin situations to leverage economic recovery.
“The importance of partnerships for development is becoming more and more evident. We know of partnerships in Africa that work and change people’s lives, but not enough of them are replicated of brought to scale.”
The report, therefore, outlines steps to initiate, strengthen, replicate and expand such models.
Bank of Botswana Governor Linah Mohlolo also expressed confidence in the adoption of partnership strategies particularly between governments and the private sector in creating more jobs, wealth and general economic growth.
She stressed that the private sector was the main provider of resources, which could help grow economies. Ms Mohlolo also sits on the Africa Panel.
Her sentiments were also expressed by another member of the Africa Progress Panel Graca Machel who also stressed the importance of civil society in the partnership mix.
“Civil society has the potential and capacity to bring the voice of those that may be excluded (from the engagement processes). Civil societies also keep governments accountable,” she said.
Former Nigerian president and Africa Progress Panel member Olusegun Obasanjo said the responsibility to ensure effective partnerships rested squarely with governments, with the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders coming in to complement its role.
The Africa Progress Panel report released at the World Economic Forum on Africa here yesterday noted that Africa has achieved a strong recovery from the global economic crisis but this growth has been described as “low quality”.
The report, which focuses mainly on the transformative power of partnerships to drive sustained social and economic development, highlighted that African economies have experienced comparatively swift and broad recoveries from the global financial crisis leading to an anticipated average 5,2 percent economic growth this year and 5,8 percent in 2012.
However, the report outlined that Africa’s growth is heavily dependent on the export of primary, unprocessed commodities. Furthermore, nonextractive sectors and manufacturing industries remain underdeveloped in most countries on the continent.
Trade between African countries remains at less than 10 percent of total trade.
Therefore, the report underscored the potential of partnerships harnessing a broad range of actors and their capacities, resources and expertise to deliver socioeconomic development across the continent.
The WEF has, over the last two days, sought to highlight and deliberate on key strategies identified as offering the best possible avenues through which Africa can consolidate its growth.
Yesterday the main focus was on inclusive growth, empowering communities and other key areas of growth.
Online Reporter