‘AFRICA: A NEW AGENDA’ – FOREIGN SECRETARY (14/02/05)
Event: Murtala Muhammed lecture
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Speech Date: 14/02/05
Speaker: Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw
Introduction
Mr President, it is a great honour to have you preside at this lecture, and a privilege to have been asked to deliver this, the 10th Murtala Muhammed lecture. General Mohammed will forever be remembered for his courage in trying to steer Nigeria on a democratic, peaceful path – courage for which he paid the ultimate price when he was assassinated just 7 months into office as President. You, Sir, had to assume the mantle of power on General Mohammed�s demise and then earned the admiration of the world when in 1979 you became the first military leader, not just in Nigeria, but in Africa to hand over power to civilian rule.
Nigeria and Africa as a whole have had a turbulent time in the nearly three decades since then. In many parts GDP per head has declined and so has life expectancy. Sub-Saharan Africa has made the least progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
Yet, The Economist reported recently that of all the people in the world, Africans are the most optimistic. In contrast, when people elsewhere in the world were asked in a Gallup survey whether this year would be better than last, most said no.
But not in Africa. Around 60% of Africans thought that things would get better this year – almost twice as many as in Europe. And where in Africa was this optimism greatest of all? The home of optimism: here in Nigeria.
Today I want to look forward with you and see if that optimism is justified. I want to sketch out what I see as the biggest challenges facing this country and this continent over the coming decade. I want to identify how we can meet those challenges together, so that the optimists of today can deliver the successes of tomorrow.
Let’s start by looking at the state of Africa today and its prospects. Are the optimists right? Or are they guilty of what Alan Greenspan, the recently retired Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, called irrational exuberance?
There is good news from this continent. Over the last few years Africa and its leaders have been taking responsibility for their own fate: the post colonial blame-game is over. African governments are espousing the right policies: good governance, the market, peacebuilding, regional co-operation. And they are having some success. Most of Africa’s wars are over. An end to the conflicts that remain is within reach if we work in partnership together.
Economic growth is up, with some African countries registering growth rates that outstrip most of the rest of the world. Democracy is on the rise and the peaceful change of leaders through the ballot box is increasingly unremarkable. HIV/AIDS remains a huge threat to Africa. But there is now a possibility, more than there was, that this disease will not annihilate the continent; an increasing number of countries are beginning to reduce infection rates.
Meanwhile Africa is emerging on the world stage as an international player in its own right. Africa rightly aspires to play that role, and seeks greater African membership on the UN Security Council � an aim the UK strongly supports, not least since some 70% of the Security Council�s business now concerns Africa.
And the most profound historical trend of all, globalisation, is bringing Africa some unambiguous benefits. The communications revolution – in particular mobile phones and the Internet – is producing a better life for many on this continent. By making information and free speech available to more and more Africans it is also forcing their governments to be more accountable and more responsive to popular pressure. The internet is in a sense the ultimate in anarchy; but organised properly, it can produce democracy.
Another aspect of globalisation, the ever-increasing migration of Africans to wealthier parts of the world, also has a payback: the remittances from those workers to their families in Africa are now providing bigger funding flows to this continent than either aid or Foreign Direct Investment. The estimates here are guesstimates, but they suggest that $2bn or more is remitted to Nigeria each year from the Nigerian diaspora in the UK alone.
The bad news for the optimists is that none of this is yet good enough to lift the continent into lasting prosperity and stability. Poverty in Africa is currently getting worse, not better. Unless growth accelerates and the fruits of growth are distributed more widely, by 2015 around 100 million more Africans than now will be living below the dollar-a-day poverty line. And it’s not just the numbers which are growing: Africa is the only continent where the proportion of people in poverty is growing too � whereas in India, China and other parts of Asia that proportion is going down.
Globalisation also could worsen Africa’s plight as well as having the potential to alleviate it. As the world economy becomes ever more competitive, an Africa which fails to rise to that challenge risks becoming increasingly marginalised. An uncompetitive Africa will fail to attract investment, fail to diversify away from exports of primary products, fail to compete in terms of productivity, and so fail to reduce poverty. We already see the rise of textile production in South Asia is already resulting in a school in textile production in Africa.
So the jury is out on Africa’s future. Whether the optimists or the pessimists are proved right depends on what Africa does now. If Africa pursues the right policies, tackles the right issues, and gets the full support of the international community, this continent could be the success story of the 21st century.
But that depends on what happens now above all in Nigeria since this is the largest nation by far in this continent. It depends on you: and on the other leaders, decision-takers and opinion-makers around this continent. While Britain and the international community can and will help, the only people who can build lasting peace, prosperity and justice on the continent of Africa are the people of Africa themselves.
The agenda: ten issues, all writ large in Nigeria
Let’s look at the issues that Africa has to confront successfully if the continent is to succeed. I see ten major challenges over the coming decade. Some are more or less traditional: poverty reduction and development, governance, peace and security. Others are new. But they all have one thing in common: meet these challenges and we all win. Fail and we all lose.
First, three “traditional” issues.
1. Development
Ending poverty through successful, sustainable development will be at the heart of Africa’s agenda over the coming decade.
It is at the heart of Britain’s agenda too. That’s why the Prime Minister sought, successfully, to make 2005 the Year of Africa. That’s why we used our Presidencies of the G8 group of industrialised powers and the European Union to put Africa at the top of the international agenda, and to elicit new commitments from world leaders to support this continent.
It worked: we secured agreement to double aid to Africa; to cancel debt (including Nigeria’s); to make major new investments in Africa’s schools, healthcare and roads; and to help boost Africa’s ability to keep the peace on the continent. The challenge for this year and beyond is to ensure that the international community delivers on these commitments. We are determined to see that this happens.
We are also determined to ensure that Africa doesn’t slip down Britain’s own agenda after the focus of last year. That’s one reason why both the Prime Minister and I have been visiting the continent this week.
2. Governance
The second issue is governance. It is fitting that we dwell on it. The late General Murtala Muhammed was a reformist. He lost his life in the cause of good governance and Nigeria�s return to democracy.
There is a simple truth that we all need to remember. Countries which have democratically elected and accountable governments, which pursue the right policies, which espouse transparency and root out corruption, and which respect human rights and the rule of law will succeed.
Their economies will flourish. Their populations will be more contented. Their best people won’t leave. Their stability will be enhanced. Their influence will grow. They will attract inward investment, development assistance and political support, in a virtuous circle.
Africa, and Nigeria, have made very significant progress on governance in the last few years. This needs to continue. Zimbabwe, once one of Africa’s brightest hopes, shows tragically what happens when governance fails. Zimbabwe was once a prosperous country and is now collapsing and inflation is growing by over 600%.
The international community has a role to play too, of course. I am pleased to announce today that on 9 February the UK ratified the UN Convention on Corruption, which will help us seize illicit and stolen assets and return them more quickly to their countries of origin. We are committed to returning to the Nigerian government assets stolen from Nigeria, in accordance with UK law. I understand your frustration at some of the slowness in our judicial system � but we are getting there.
The international community also has a role to play in encouraging states which have mineral windfalls to invest the profits in the sustainable development of their own economies and in lifting their own people out of poverty. Such is the agreement the World Bank sought to make with Chad when the Bank invested in a new oil pipeline project there. It is important that agreements like this, now under challenge in Chad, should stand.
3. Conflict
Peace is a fundamental condition of successful development. There has been significant progress over the last few years in snuffing out the conflicts which have bedevilled the continent since independence. The UN has played a key role in this. But progress has been made primarily by Africans themselves.
Nigeria, ECOWAS and the African Union have played a central role in this. Today I pay tribute to you for that, and renew Britain’s commitment to support the development of effective African peacekeeping however and wherever we can. We are, for example, increasing our help to the Nigerian Army�s Peacekeeping Training Wing at Jaji.
But the job of bringing lasting peace to Africa is far from completed. Some conflicts continue to burn or simmer. Sudan is one. I visited this morning the peace talks on Darfur underway here in Abuja. I pressed the parties to reach a rapid political agreement and a permanent ceasefire, which all the parties of the conflict must observe instead of breaking. I commend the work of Salim Salim, chair of the talks, and I salute the bravery of the Nigerian troops serving with the AU mission in Darfur. Ivory Coast is another simmering conflict. We strongly support President Obasanjo’s mediation efforts, and have taken action in the UN Security Council against those seeking to block the peace process there. We are ready to do so again.
In other parts of the continent the really hot wars are ending. But we cannot be satisfied with a cold or frozen peace. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo the next vital step is successful elections. Ethiopia and Eritrea need to recognise that neither will get what they want unless they lower tension and talk to each other. If the factions in Somalia are serious about rebuilding their state and serving their people, they need to get behind the new Transitional Government.
Tragically, the best way to predict where future conflict will arise in Africa is to look at where conflict has occurred in the past. So we need to redouble our efforts to build lasting peace, justice and prosperity in places like Sierra Leone and Liberia; Rwanda and Burundi; Angola; and Mozambique.
And we need to stop the easily available supply of small arms and light weapons which fuel African conflicts, old and new. That is why I have proposed an international Arms Trade Treaty to ensure no country supplies weapons which would stoke internal conflict, external aggression or regional instability. I have the support of the European Union and the Commonwealth in this; and I hope I can count on yours.
So much for what you might call the three traditional challenges for Africa. But I see a host of new issues rising – seven in particular – which will have greater prominence in Africa in the coming decade.
4. Terrorism
Nowhere in the world is now immune from terrorism. But Africa is at particular risk.
Al Qaeda and their local surrogates have already carried out a string of deadly attacks on this continent. They killed hundreds in the bombing of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and the attacks on Israelis in Kenya in 2002. There are likely to be more such attacks. Africa’s porous borders, stretched security forces and location near the Middle East and Europe make it attractive to Al Qaeda.
Africa suffers – most of those killed in the terrorist attacks to date in Africa have been Africans. Nigerians died alongside British and other citizens in the bomb attacks on London last July. Britain and the international community suffer in Africa too: our own citizens have been murdered in Somalia and Eritrea. Terrorism damages economies as well as lives: Africa can ill afford that extra burden.
The terrorist threat to and from Africa is likely to grow over the next ten years. The biggest risk is not of a generation of homegrown African terrorists. It is the ability of external terrorists to use Africa as a base from which to launch attacks on African and Western interests in Africa itself and beyond. We need to fight this threat together. Britain and Nigeria are already co-operating closely.
5. Migration
Globalisation is driving a great increase in the numbers of people moving around the world and we can see this in the huge increase in visa applications to Britain. Many want to come to Britain: our prosperity, tolerant society and historical links with many developing countries make us a popular destination. More may try to get into Britain as they flee poverty, war or injustice. That trend, and the pressures, will grow in the coming decade.
Well-managed migration is good for everyone. It brings Britain and other developed countries skills and people we need but don’t have, boosts our economy, and makes us a more vibrant and diverse society. It gives Africans coming to Britain as students, workers or visitors access to skills, jobs and experiences they would not otherwise get. There are said to be over a million Nigerians in Britain: they are a benefit for us and a benefit for you. If you want to know why the US and UK do so well economically � it is for many reasons and in part down to inward migration.
But illegal immigration is bad for everyone. It hurts the illegal immigrant, who risks exploitation by unscrupulous employers or people traffickers, and forcible repatriation once he is caught. And it hurts the legal immigrant, because where there is widespread abuse, governments are forced to tighten their legal admission routes.
The same is true of asylum. Africa is now the leading source of new asylum seekers in UK. We have seen of late a significant rise in the number of Nigerians applying for asylum in the UK: bizarre, given that this is not a country where people are persecuted.
Britain will continue to give asylum to those who genuinely qualify for it. But those seeking to abuse the system damage both themselves and the system. Due to new legal developments Nigerians coming illegally to the UK will be immediately deported.
Nigeria and Britain are co-operating well to facilitate legal migration and combat illegal immigration. We want to sustain and develop this, and make our relationship a model for others in Africa and beyond.
We mean what we say about welcoming managed, legal, migration. I can announce today two measures to make it easier for legitimate Nigerian travellers to come to Britain. First, we will next month lift our temporary suspension of visa applications by first time young visitors (18-30). And second, we will provide a better quality and faster visa process, by using commercial partners to take applications, fees and data, also from next month.
6. Crime and drugs
A significant and growing proportion of the most dangerous (Class A) drugs on UK streets now come in from West Africa. African organised crime groups, many Nigerian, are increasingly active in the UK. They are also increasingly violent.
Here too everyone loses.
So this is another area where Britain and Nigeria, and Europe and Africa, have to work more closely together over the coming years. We are already doing much in this field with you. I am pleased to be able to announce today additional funding (�250,000) for a training project run by the Metropolitan Police for their Nigerian colleagues.
7. Energy security
The recent argument between Russia and Ukraine over gas supplies cast a literal chill over many parts of Europe.
Energy security is becoming an ever more important issue for the UK and the international community. This continent currently produces around 10% of the world’s oil and has roughly the same percentage of known world reserves. But much of the continent’s potential reserves have not yet been explored or identified. The quality of African oil is often very high. In many parts of the continent it is easier to access. And the world will continue to look for ways to diversify its supply and reduce its dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
What this means is that a stable and successful Nigeria is vital for the UK. It is vital too for Shell, 10% of whose global production comes from Nigeria, and for the British company BG which is to invest large sums here in gas production. A stable and successful Africa is crucial for the international community’s long term energy security. In turn the best way to ensure such long term security is to ensure that the revenues raised from oil are transparently accounted for and used to benefit the people of producer countries � including the people of Nigeria and the Niger Delta. We welcome the Nigerian government�s commitments on this, and President Obasanjo�s support for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
8. Environment
Climate change and ecological degradation are global phenomena. They will affect the UK and the rest of the world. But they are likely to have particularly stark effects in Africa, because most Africans rely on agriculture, and because so many Africans still live constantly on the edge of total impoverishment, so small changes in the natural environment can have devastating effects.
Africa is not the source of the problem – it isn’t a major contributor to global warming, because of the absence of heavy industry and of large-scale vehicle ownership. But it can be part of the solution: in particular if key African states like Nigeria and South Africa work with us and the rest of the international community to tackle the problem through international agreements like Kyoto; and if Africa manages to preserve its large forests which alleviate the threat by acting as carbon sinks. Britain is actively engaged here too in seeking to help African countries maintain those forests.
9. Islam
Engaging with Islam is the next big issue. One of the biggest challenges for all of us is to ensure that the Christian and the Islamic worlds become partners in the 21st century rather than at loggerheads. Nowhere is this more important than in Africa.
If we are going to succeed in this we need to start with the facts. There are more Muslims in Africa than in the Middle East. The biggest of all Muslim communities in Sub-Saharan Africa is of course here in Nigeria. We also need to recognise that Muslims in Africa are not just numerous: they are also moderate, important and well-integrated members of society.
If we are going to succeed we have to make clear that we value and respect each other�s faiths and communities; and that we share a set of common values. We need more dialogue: one reason why last year we organised half a dozen visits to Northern Nigeria by British Muslim figures.
We could benefit from a little humility too. We in Britain can learn a lot from Africa in the way different religions and cultures live together comfortably. There are many small but significant examples: in the way that Christians and Muslims intermarry in Ghana and parts of Nigeria without anyone giving this any attention, or in the way that in Sierra Leone the local Imam and church leader open public meetings together with a joint prayer. And we also need to nail some of the myths about Britain and Islam. The war on terror is a war on terrorists, not Muslims. The terrorists targetted all communities in the attacks on London on 7 July last year: innocent Muslims died that day too. The extremists want a divided society at war with itself: the rest of us – the vast majority of Christians, Muslims, Hindus and other faiths – want unity and peace. Muslims in the UK are valued, welcome, well-integrated. My own Parliamentary constituency, Blackburn, is 25% Muslim � half from India and half from Pakistan with 30 mosques all making a great contribution to our society.
10. China
My final issue is China. The last year or so has seen a striking increase in China’s visibility and engagement in Africa. The British press reported prominently last month’s acquisition by the Chinese national offshore oil company of a $2.3bn majority stake in a major Nigerian oilfield. And the story is the same elsewhere across Africa: China looking actively to raise its profile, increase its influence, sell its goods, and acquire raw materials and energy to fuel its staggering economic growth.
We regard China’s engagement in Africa as good news. My Chinese colleague, Foreign Minister Li, is an old and respected Africa hand. We want China to play a full role on the international scene. We all gain from a prosperous China. Africa gains from Chinese investment, from the export revenues it earns, and from the roads, bridges and other infrastructure which China has helped build.
What matters to us is not the fact but the manner of China’s engagement in Africa. We want that engagement to support the agenda which President Obasanjo and the African Union have set out for this continent: support for democratic and accountable governance, for transparent business processes, for economic growth and effective poverty reduction, for human rights and the rule of law. We will work closely with China to that end.
Common threads: the linkages between these challenges
The challenges that I have identified today, old and new, have two things in common. First, that most of them cannot be addressed in isolation: in order successfully to address one we need to address the others too. And second, that none of them can be successfully tackled without building successful African states: prosperous, democratic, stable, well-led.
Nigeria
Which is where Nigeria comes in. This speech has deliberately focussed on Africa as a whole. But let me say this about Nigeria itself and Britain’s relations with it.
The relationship is strong. We value our close co-operation, and our robust and open dialogue.
Nigerians are rightly ambitious for themselves and for their country. We are as ambitious as you are for this country’s future.
There are of course particular challenges ahead for Nigeria: pressing on with the reform programme, ensuring peaceful and free and fair elections next year, tackling the problems of the Niger Delta.
None of these issues are easy. But none of them are impossible. And the prize for addressing them successfully will be great: a stronger and more prosperous Nigeria, exerting benign influence on Africa and the world.
Conclusion
Nigerians are justly renowned for their energy, ingenuity, and wisdom. I am confident that if this nation brings these qualities to the challenges I have identified today, it will succeed. And I can promise all of you that Britain will be there to help you.
The US teacher and reformer, Helen Keller, knew something about challenges. She famously confronted and overcame the twin obstacles of deafness and blindness. And she knew something about optimism and pessimism too. She once said: ‘No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.’ Let us resolve today, here in the heart of Africa, to prove the optimists right.