June 4, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1424

EVIAN: Civil society organizations are becoming increasingly sceptical about the value of the G8 summits to Africa.

More energy has gone into non-African issues such as the aftermath of the Iraq war than into matters of vital importance to Africa, says Ezra Mbogori, executive director of Mwengo (Mwelekeo wa NGO).

The organization serves NGOs in East and Southern Africa.

Mbogori’s view reflects the feel of civil society and human rights organizations towards the Group of Eight Summit held in Evian.

Diplomatic sources that wished not to be named, said a tussle was underway between the French and British on the one hand and the United States on the other.

While the French and British governments were pressing to keep Africa as a special agenda item, the United States argued that development in all countries should be given equal priority.

The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) was developed two years ago under the leadership of five African heads of state, South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki, Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, the Algerian leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal.

It has since been adopted by African heads of state as the official economic programme of the African Union, as well as by the G8 as the basis of their Africa Action Plan.

Also the United Nations have accepted NEPAD as the official framework for development assistance to the continent.

Civil society groups attending the alternative summit, Summit for Another World, which ended in Annemasse and Geneva on Saturday, questioned the chance of success of NEPAD.

They expressed doubts whether the so called “African initiative” constitutes a true opportunity for fair relations between the countries of Africa and the rich industrial nations of the North. The initiative also came under heavy criticism for the lack of consultation of civil society movements.

“NEPAD must be rejected by all African people because it is not anything different from structural adjustment policies — in fact it is even worse because we now have African leaders championing it,” said Demba Moussa Dembele who heads the African Network Forum for African Alternatives, based in Dakar, Senegal.

Professor Adebayo Olukushi, Secretary General of CODESRIA, Africa’s leading research institute based in Dakar told IPS: “We are on the brink of another G8 failure. We do not need new plans; we need the G8 to deliver on the promises made. The starting point should not be NEPAD; we should go back to the commitments undertaken by the G8 and hold them accountable.”

He said too much attention was being given to NEPAD as a framework for delivering growth and development in Africa. But not enough attention was being paid to enduring development issues pre-dating NEPAD against which there have been broken promises over the years.

Caroline Sande Mukulira, spokesperson for Oxfam International says, the G8 has not delivered on the promise made at last year’s summit. This includes contributing additional six billion dollars a year in aid to Africa and agreeing to a timetable towards reaching the 25 to 35 billion dollars a year which the UN estimates Africa will need if it is to meet the Millennium Goals.

“This should include delivering five billion dollars annually for basic education and fully funding the 10 billion dollar Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria,” she says.

The vice chairperson of the Southern African Institute of International Affairs based in South Africa, Moeletsi Mbeki says, “the dependency of African governments seems to be at the centre of the relationship with the G8.”—Dawn/The InterPress News Service.