Millennial Challenge Series: Harnessing Diaspora Africans for Africa's Rennaissance

Dear Patriotic Citizens of the Globe and African Diaspora:

Re: The African Millnnium and the Diaspora Synergy!

The African Diaspora is a very large and powerful community that has travelled away from the continent in a period that span for 500 years in the case of Europe and North America and even longer since the history of Lucy- the mother of all humanity considers Africa as the origin of all human beings. After all we are all African Diaspora!

So, the story of African Disapora eventually means not only people who left the continent just 500 years ago or over the past few decades but all humanity from time of human movement to and away from Africa. That sounds very powerful and connects all of us at our roots in Africa (Afar Valley of Ethiopia where Lucy and Selam bones were discovered)

What a coincidence these very people are today preparing to celebrate the New African Millennium, which in effect is the recognition of recorded history of the region for almost 8,000 years that is 5,500 before Christ and now 2,000 years after Christ. That puts this millennium as the 8th Millennium where scriptures and literature abound as the final Millennium of the old and the new Millennium wil begin. So, September 12, 2007 is the beginnning of a real new era and needs new thinking and new world order, at least for the Africans.


Even if we consider the past 500 years, we are talking about a huge North American and Latin American population of African descent. That figure could be in the region of 200 million or so and add it to the continental population of about 900 Million, this great African Diaspora is about 1.2 Billion people. That is only third to the Chinese and Indian population of about 1.6Billion and 1.4 Billion people of the world's 6.5 Billion population.

Looking at the modern African social and economic development challenges that potential win-win partnership of people of African descent is critical. The question is what type of partnership?

In the global village climate of the new African Millennium, technology, digital communication and jet engines have made the village very small. Goods, Services and talents and capital is moving back and forth at the speed of light. The real question that the continent should put to itself and the rest of the world is : Is Africa ready for Global Business or the Millennial Challenges?

Challenges of infrastructure, financial institutions and overall business climate continue to be a serious problem.

I am sure this is one of the issues that the World Bank was trying to address at the World Development Forum where the proposed agenda for next year is discussed is how to match talent, resources and demands of the continent.

Next year, South Africa is hosting a global summit with the proposed theme, "Towards the realisation of a United and Integrated Africa and its Diaspora".

The summit will focusing on unity between Africa and the African diaspora scattered around the world, from the Caribbean to Europe, with the aim of producing a shared vision of sustainable development for both the African continent and the millions of people around the world who share an African heritage.


This is a great potential and needs a serious discussion and preparation. Please read on this interesting news from Africa.

with regards and seeking your alternative views, I remain;

Yours truly,

Belai Habte-Jesus,MD, MPH
Global Strategic Enterprises, Inc
Global Partnership For Peace and Propsperity.

www.Globalbelai4u.blogspot.com


Globalbelai@yahoo.com


Africa: Harness African Diaspora's Expertise to Benefit Continent






BuaNews (Tshwane)

14 June 2007
Posted to the web 14 June 2007

Shaun Benton
Cape Town

The expertise of the African Diaspora should be harnessed to provide the extra capacity Africa needs as it moves to the next stage of development, said the Vice-President of the Africa Region of the World Bank on Wednesday.

Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili was speaking in a session at the World Economic Forum on Africa held in Cape Town and moderated by Tokyo Sexwale, who is one of four co-chairs of this year's forum.


The discussion on Wednesday evening included President Thabo Mbeki, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and Cynthia Carroll, the chief executive of mining giant Anglo-American.

"The [African] diaspora constitutes an amazing army of talent to develop the continent," said Ms Ezekwesili, adding that that Africa's opportunity for rapid economic growth with all its accompanying benefits "is now", and should not be missed.

The "amazing African brain lying outside of the continent" [among expatriates and in the diaspora] has the capacity to lift development on the continent to its next level, she said.

Her remarks come as the South African government is moving to consolidate African unity in a number of areas.

Next year, South Africa is hosting a global summit with the proposed theme, "Towards the realisation of a United and Integrated Africa and its Diaspora".

The summit will focusing on unity between Africa and the African diaspora scattered around the world, from the Caribbean to Europe, with the aim of producing a shared vision of sustainable development for both the African continent and the millions of people around the world who share an African heritage.

At the WEF-Africa this year, delegates are focusing on how the continent can build the capacity it needs to lift economic growth beyond the current African average of around 5,8 percent, under the theme of "Raising the bar".

Speaking in the discussion on Wednesday evening, President Mbeki said that certain "critical interventions" needed to be made to ensure the continent is lifted out of poverty.

He said that while governments could lay the foundations for success, partnerships with the private sector were important to ensure that money for development was forthcoming.

Governments - whose planning is long-range - need to listen to private sector concerns while convincing investors of the potential that exists, while examining prospects for value-addition of Africa's commodities.

Another key issue, said the president, was that of open markets in Europe and the West as a whole for African agricultural products, given that agriculture constituted a major component of African economic endeavour.

If developed countries agreed to open their markets to agricultural products, African farmers could export surplus production.

President Wade agreed that sustainable development needs human resources to move a country forward, and emphasised the investment Senegal was making in education of its citizens. He lamented stereotyped views of African that gave disproportionate weight to poverty and disease.

Ms Carroll, for her part, said that the key challenge for multinationals is to build local supply chains.

This view has echoes with government's strategy for building capacity for competitive local suppliers as state infrastructure projects, too, face tight supply constraints of the capital goods needed for expansion.

Ms Ezekwesili said that economic growth was being experienced even in African economies that were not oil exporters or mineral rich.

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This meant that the right policies were being followed, that these policies that were working, she said, but more needs to be done in different areas, such as in financial systems, which need to be deepened.

In his opening remarks, Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, said he saw much greater, all-round confidence from Africans this year as the continent begins to reap the benefits of several years of positive economic growth.

He added that the global financial architecture needs to be restructured in line with changes in the world's economic balance, adding that South Africa's chairing this year of the G20 group of central bankers and finance ministers could perhaps be seen as a forerunner to more radical changes.