Conference aims to improve African countries’ governance

Sixteen African heads of state and leaders of the World Bank and the United Nations will attend a conference on governance organised by the European Commission next week in Brussels. The conference (16-17 November) will focus on how states can be managed best and how to overcome the challenges of governance. Paul Wolfowitz, the president of the World Bank, and Mark Malloch Brown, the deputy secretary general of the UN, will participate.

The main themes for the conference include state rehabilitation after conflict, the role donors can play in governance, promoting free press, policies to protect vulnerable groups and minorities, involving non-governmental organisations (NGOs), migration and fighting corruption. About 700 participants are expected from the Commission, EU and African governments, NGOs and the United Nations. "It’s about providing a platform where all development actors can participate," said a Commission spokesman.

NGOs have criticised the Commission for having a narrow view of governance and imposing rules without the participation of states involved. A number of NGOs are organising a parallel conference on 13-14 November to allow other interest groups, trade unions, church activist and citizens’ movements to debate their ideas for governance. "We are rather concerned that there is a definition being imposed which is the opposite of what governance should be about," said Joanna Maycock, EU representative with ActionAid International. The Commission, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund should also be held accountable as to how transparent they are when managing funds and setting programmes for developing countries, she added.

NGOs are also critical of Commission financial incentives for reaching targets on governance, saying the rules for assessment are not objective. But a Commission spokesman said governments had been consulted on their governance plans and that financial incentives were a positive alternative to sanctions. "Our approach is positive. Governance is about reinforcing security, reaching the Millennium Development Goals, addressing HIV and TB, providing education and health care. All of this is governance," said the spokesman.

An EU-Africa business forum, attended by representatives of firms, labour organisations and NGOs, will be held in parallel to discuss infrastructure, legal security and regional integration.

Heads of state attending the conference next week will include the President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni, President of Rwanda Paul Kagamé, President of Mali Amadou Tourmani Touré and the President of Sierra Leone Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verohstadt and Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja will open the conference discussions. Nobel peace prize laureate Desmond Tutu, Development Commissioner Louis Michel and Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado will close the conference.

Sixteen African heads of state and leaders of the World Bank and the United Nations will attend a conference on governance organised by the European Commission next week in Brussels. The conference (16-17 November) will focus on how states can be managed best and how to overcome the challenges of governance. Paul Wolfowitz, the president of the World Bank, and Mark Malloch Brown, the deputy secretary general of the UN, will participate.