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NEPAD: A new Partnership between Rider and Horse?
Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI)
February 2003
Posted with permission of Naledi.
This paper was presented at the Africa Labour Research Network workshop,
Johannesburg, 22-23 May 2003.
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Introduction
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) has been debated in many African countries over the past few months. It has drawn attention not only from governments, but also from trade unions, NGOs and business organisations on the continent abroad. In Namibia, however, the debate has been very limited thus far although a recent booklet on NEPAD by Joseph Diescho paved the way for more discussions. This booklet will complement Diescho's publication (Understanding the New Partnership for Africa's Development, 2002) by highlighting the key issues in the NEPAD document. By examining the strengths and weaknesses of NEPAD we hope to answer the most important question, namely whether NEPAD will solve Africa's problems or just exacerbate the current situation. NEPAD covers many issues, which can unfortunately not be fully covered in this booklet. However we hope to contribute to a lively debate on NEPAD as a recovery programme for Africa.
This booklet will first discuss NEPAD in the context of Africa's history and the continued marginalisation of the African continent in the era of globalisation. We will explore the question whether NEPAD can provide a solution to the socio-economic and political challenges that our continent faces today. It will be illustrative to reflect on the war on terror which has now taken over the international political agenda, and which will definitely divert attention of the most industrialised countries from Africa and development as a whole. NEPAD, as Mbeki, a lead proponent of NEPAD, puts it is another chance for Africa to reclaim the 21st century. NEPAD's dream is to reverse the scenario in which the African is a beggar and instead turn her/him into a master of her/ his own destiny. It is important to analyse the challenges facing Africa before we put our hopes in the NEPAD process to deliver development.
The booklet will present the goals, principles, strategies and the institutional framework of NEPAD. A critique of NEPAD will be presented in section 6. This critique will first focus on the unclear relationship between NEPAD and the AU. Secondly, NEPAD's unquestioning embrace of neo-liberalism and capitalism will be analysed. Questions about the legitimacy of NEPAD, which stem from the lack of continental consultation prior to the design of the plan, have become a focal issue in civil society circles. The booklet will then critically look at NEPAD's proposed financial resource mobilisation strategy.
NEPAD has endorsed good governance and a peer review mechanism. The feasibility of this will be reviewed in light of the recent pre and post election developments in neighbouring Zimbabwe. Other issues that this booklet looks at are NEPAD's apparent failure to devote adequate attention to HIV/AIDS and the programme's failure to show how women will be enabled to become true equal partners in Africa's development. The critique of NEPAD will end with an interrogation of the proposed concept of partnership between Africa and the industrialised countries. In conclusion, Section 7 discusses the challenges and presents the two alternative routes for African development; namely, the neo-liberal route in which the market leads the way, or the 'put the people before profits' strategy in which the government remains responsible for the delivery of essential goods and services.
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