GOVERNING IN AFRICA

INTRODUCTION SOME GOVERNMENTS IN AFRICA WORK VERY WELL AND SUSTAIN VIBRANT DEMOCRACIES AND ECONOMIES NEVERTHELESS ACROSS THE CONTINENT POOR GOVERNANCE, CORRUPTION (AS WELL AS THE ABSENCE OF GOVERNMENT IN SOMALIA’S CASE, WHICH OPERATED BETWEEN 1991 AND 2012 WITH NO RECOGNISED GOVERNMENT) HAS SEVERELY IMPACTED ON DEVELOPMENT THE PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN IN THE FACT THAT THE MO IBRAHIM AWARD, A CASH PRIZE ($5 MILLION) AWARDED TO THE LEADER WHO SHOWS THE BEST GOVERNANCE IN THE CONTINENT, HAS NOT BEEN WON BY ANYONE FOR FOUR OUT OF THE PAST FIVE YEARS

THE IMPACT OF POOR GOVERNANCE READ THE TWO CASE STUDIES, ONE ON ANGOLA AND THE OTHER ON CHAD AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT GO WITH THEM ON THE NEXT SLIDE

CASE STUDIES CREATE A MIND MAP WHICH ILLUSTRATES THE PROBLEMS STILL FACING ANGOLA TODAY EXPLAIN WHY THE DISCOVERY OF OIL IN ANGOLA HAS NOT HAD A MAJOR IMPACT ON POVERTY IN THE COUNTRY. WHY IS OIL SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS THE ‘DEVILS EXCREMENT’ IN CHAD? WHAT PROMISES DID THE GOVERNMENT IN CHAD MAKE WHEN OIL WAS FIRST FOUND? EXAMINE THE VIEW THAT OIL HAS HAD A DETRIMENTAL IMPACT ON MANY IN THE COUNTRY

HOW TO GET AHEAD IN AFRICA WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY AND TAKE NOTES ON THE PROBLEM OF CORRUPTION IN THE AFRICAN COUNTRIES DISCUSSED

WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH SENSIBLE GOVERNANCE GHANA HAS IMPLEMENTED SEVERAL REFORMS AND MEASURES CONCERNING GOOD GOVERNANCE IN A BID TO DRASTICALLY REDUCE CORRUPTION WHICH COST THE ECONOMY MILLIONS EVERY YEAR GHANA HAS EVEN OFFERED ITSELF UP FOR A REVIEW IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE AGAINST CORRUPTION (UNCAC), THE WORLDS FIRST LEGALLY BINDING ANTI-CORRUPTION INSTRUMENT 7 TH ON THE NO IBRAHIM INDEX OF WELL GOVERNED COUNTRIES IN AFRICA GHANA, IS ON THE PATH TO BECOMING AID INDEPENDENT AFTER ATTAINING ABOUT 14 PER CENT GROWTH IN 2011, GHANA HAD EIGHT PER CENT GROWTH IN 2012 GHANA HAS ACHIEVED AN OVERALL REDUCTION IN THE POVERTY RATE FROM 52 PERCENT TO 28 PERCENT OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS

CONCLUSION IT IS CLEAR THEN NOT EVERY COUNTRY IN AFRICA THAT IS STRUGGLING TO DEVELOP DOESN’T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO IN FACT MANY COUNTRIES HAVE A VARIETY OF RESOURCES IN ABUNDANCE, FROM DIAMONDS + COBALT TO OIL AND GOLD WHERE GOVERNMENTS ARE TRANSPARENT AND ACT IN THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE, THEN DEVELOPMENT CAN OCCUR HOWEVER WHILST CORRUPTION EXISTS TACKLING THESE PROBLEMS IS GOING TO REMAIN A MAJOR CHALLENGE