The APP Bulletin

Progress on achieving MDG 7 is too slow. This is the first message pouring out of the 3rd Africa Water Week in Addis Ababa these days. The three primary reasons cited are weak governance of the water sector, severe under-investments in infrastructure, and a lack of political prioritization at the national level. As a result, more than 350 million Africans still do not have access to safe drinking water and only 37 percent of the population has access to adequate sanitation.

Elections have recently been held in several African countries. On the surface, this appears good news indeed. Even though postponed seven times, Cote d’Ivoire’s first election since the civil war has seen most of the country turn out to vote. The first democratic election in Guinea is giving the country the chance to put its coup-ridden history behind it and start afresh. And in both Tanzania and the Comoros, the well-run elections are encouraging signs of democratic consolidation.

This week sees the first Africa Food and Nutrition Day, and the Conference of African Ministers of Agriculture in Lilongwe, a fitting venue given the dramatic increase in food production in Malawi over the last five years, primarily a result of Government-led, donor supported, input subsidy scheme.

The G20 Summit in Seoul is approaching; diplomatic activity is intensifying, orchestrated by the active South Korean Chair. Expectations as to what can be achieved, and what the G20 should take on, vary widely.

Expectations around the MDG Summit were low, given global economic and financial woes. In terms of commitments announced, including to and by Africa, they were met. The question now is how ‘hard’ the commitments are, whether they are new or ‘recycled’, whether they will be implemented, and who will hold those making them to account.

The MDG Summit is finally upon us. Will it trigger accelerated progress towards the goals? Or, as some fear, will it consist of grand statements and repackaged financial commitments but little 'real' new investment?

The greens won, and there’s a sense of euphoric, suspended disbelief in Kenya. The vote on the referendum, one of the measures set out in the National Accord brokered by Kofi Annan in 2008, on whether to adopt the new constitution, was peacefully conducted, and the ceremony was a national celebration. The sense of optimism on the streets is now palpable.

This week in Kampala, the AU Summit’s main session on its central theme ‘Maternal, Child and Infant Health and Development in Africa’, was allotted a three hour slot but ended up lasting a day and a half. Over 35 African heads of state, international partners (including several heads of UN agencies), civil society and the media debated the many health challenges in Africa. The profile of MDGs 4 & 5 was raised to an unprecedented level.

The World Cup is being widely acknowledged as a triumph for the South African hosts and a boost for Africa’s self esteem and international image. Ghana united the continent in the quarter finals – and were better losers and ambassadors for the sport and fairplay than the Netherlands in the final. Many lazy and often negative assumptions about Africa and its people have been changed if not overturned.
So the bomb blast in Kampala which killed almost 80 people as they watched the final on TV last Sunday were the ugliest possible intrusion on the celebrations. The timing was no doubt deliberate – and intended to exploit global attention to the continent.

What are development advocates and anti-poverty campaigners to make of the recent G8 and G20 Summits?
That the world’s most powerful governments are willing to coordinate their efforts to sort out the global financial system is positive. Macro-economic stability is a must for growth, job creation and the battle against poverty. The importance given by the G8 to maternal and child health, food security, Africa and green recovery are all welcome too. But many remain unconvinced. ...The G8 communiqué is well wordsmithed, but conceals as much as it reveals

As the World Cup unfolds, the buzz goes beyond the vuvuzelas. South Africa has been both hailed and criticized for the way it is hosting the event but the fact that the tournament is taking place in Africa is an undoubted source of pride across the continent.
For the next few weeks, the world will hold its breath and dive into a universe where countries compete on level playing fields, where the rules are clear and the results visible. But that bubble will break and beyond the satisfying accomplishment of hosting such a mega-event, what will be left for Africa after the World Cup?

Africa is currently subject to a tidal wave of reports and media coverage triggered by the World Cup. This is good news. Several management consulting firms have just issued reports on Africa.

“Are any of Africa’s leaders – indeed, are any political leaders anywhere, really serious about fighting
corruption ?” That was the question straddling a recent meeting convened by the APP on shared responsibility between Africa and its partners for good governance on the continent.