Africa in “action” beyond aid: dedication and will
Legal LawThe countries of Africa must establish strategies and actions (action plans) at their levels to which they will adhere in their process of liberation of their continent beyond aid so that they can be measured. Writing this comes from the context of emerging issues on the African continent, Ghanaian President HE Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at a global partnership for education conference, said: “We have the resources to finance education in Africa.” and indeed, during the just ended State of Seasons speech (his second) on February 8, 2018, he said, “We will build Ghana beyond aid,” repeating the need for engagement with Ghana and Africa beyond the aid process. Rwandan President H. E Paul Kagame and other leaders always have.
In the words of the Ghanaian president, I gather that the leader has dedicated the free SHS program to not be tied to a promise of aid from any foreign government. Directly, it means that the country will not depend on aid to finance a program so demanded by revenue. That’s refreshing, although Ghana still has some donor support in its budget. In practice, previous Ghanaian leaders have walked in one way or another along similar lines with the overall goal of a self-sufficient economy. But much is expected, the presidents of African nations need specific commitments and they, including Ghana, will march towards what I call ‘Africa in action beyond aid’: the daily actions and way of life that lead us to economic independence… Surely. It won’t take a day, it will take years, to fully achieve it. Even so, some countries will do so before others.
The question of when individual countries will be economically independent, no one can say. But working together, one day it will be achieved. It’s “only when we cross the river can we tell the crocodile has a lump on its snout” at that point we can say it’s over. We need to commend our continent’s leaders for embracing “Africa in Action Beyond Aid” and also challenge them to take specific action in the context of their country and work towards economic independence, however small it may seem, it adds up and is for take away all of our help in the process. In that way, we will help reorient our minds and work towards “Africa beyond aid”.
AFRICAN UNION (AU)
AU plays a significant and important role in achieving this mission in our daily lives as a continent. If the body could agree for members to make a specific dedication and statement towards Africa beyond aid, it would mean a lot in the future. AU can help with:
1) In the short to medium term, members agree that none of their own will accept any support from any foreign government that comes with “conditions” attached, except those to deter corruption and increase their effectiveness (The conditions themselves may make for a country to be so dependent on these donor countries)
2) All African countries should come up with strategies on how they can work at the level of their countries to achieve the project beyond aid in process.
The truth, however, is that countries are at different levels of development in Africa (just like any other continent), some countries on the continent at different levels of our development will surely need help, while others not so much.
3) Then, AU can start looking for funds from its own people to help/finance projects of its own people without strings attached in the medium and long term.
4) Also in the medium term, the foreign aid that still arrives to support the economies must be linked to individual projects and not to items in the budgets of African countries (for example, if a German company wants to build a library for a community and hand it over to authorities, why not “Africa in action beyond aid” does not mean we stop supporting ourselves However, having said that, when aid and donor support is tied to the budgets of countries, when support stops coming, budgets are in distress and people suffer from The policies resulting from the managers of the economies Great Britain and the Netherlands cut aid to Rwanda, causing the country to account for about 12 % of your budget estimates for inputs in 2012
ORGANIZATIONS OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND OTHERS
Civil society organizations (CSOs) and all other groups are necessary in such a commendable change “in doing things” on the continent. In addition, (4) CSOs (and all other dedicated institutions and groups like ours) can petition individual countries and sub-regional bodies on the need to implement national-level strategies on “Africa in Action Beyond Aid”.
5) In addition, CSOs can help in behavior change activities and projects to reorient citizens on the need to support “Africa in action beyond aid” and the problems that arise (some economic)
COUNTRY LEVEL
6. Corruption: But in all of these, the continent’s ability to take action to eliminate or minimize corruption is important if any country is to achieve resilient and economic independence. Because if you get all the revenue and it goes into people’s pockets, the country will surely be vulnerable to help and weak enough to accept terms even when they don’t favor the economies.
7) Innovatively generate revenue to support budgets: Countries need behavior change messages: the average human being will not like paying taxes (this is normal), but when countries put tax purposes and use revenue well, people are reason enough to support governments.governments Without the ability of countries to raise funds, they will always go hungry and that’s when they start begging. Revenue leakage can be significantly blocked and resources channeled for development activities
CITIZEN SUPPORT
The Mamprusi have a saying that “a healthy person begging for food is an insult to the farmer.” For some people, it doesn’t matter where the funds come from, as long as there is development, who cares. This thinking may be justified, however, even as individuals, if we can manage our families without the need for the always (financial) help of others who may have their own families to manage, then African states can also use the same. Let’s support this noble course. The “ruins of a nation begin in the homes of its people.” ‘When a noble path calls, we lend our support in our homes and wherever we are for a “dignified path worth following to the end”
Finally, we cooperate to develop.
The United Nations and donor agencies should support this course. If aid does not help Africa to be like or better than the donor countries, then there is definitely a need to look again and follow a different course: development in cooperation and respect for each other. In addition, the governments of Africa will have to create more opportunities for all by well targeting their resources for the benefit of the people of the continent. Because as HE Nelson Mandela once said “because to be free is not simply to get rid of one’s own chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others”. In doing so, we will bring our people with us to sustainable and impactful development on the continent.
Now “Africa beyond aid is a vision” but “Africa in action beyond aid” is a mission… Let’s work in action to achieve the vision!