Deployment of US Troops to Help Fight LRA — A Just Cause!

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Originally published on AllAfrica.com – October 21, 2011

President Obama’s decision to deploy a small cadre of US troops to help Ugandan forces track down and destroy the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is a step in the right direction. For too long, Joseph Kony and his cohorts have waged a ruthless campaign of murder, rape, mutilation and abduction against civilians, first in northern Uganda and now in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

While I’ve certainly had my reservations about this Administration’s Africa policy, I whole-heartedly support President Obama’s commitment to rooting out the LRA and its terror campaign. Continue reading →

Trade Talk: Killing African Growth with the Best of Intentions

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Originally published on allAfrica.com – August 26, 2011

As Congress continues to drag its collective feet in passing three long-delayed Free Trade Agreements, as well as the long-overdue renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), it is clear that international trade policy is one realm where numbers and politics rarely mix well. When adding the morally-loaded, ambiguous term “poverty reduction” to an already adversarial mix, the righteous drive to do good can sometimes blind us to faulty logic and oversimplification.

The ongoing conversation over extending Duty-Free Quota-Free (DFQF) benefits to all Least Developed Countries (LDCs) provides a good example of this predicament. Continue reading →

Development Groups Not Pushing Duty-Free Quota-Free Package

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Originally Published 07/15/2011 by Inside U.S. Trade

Amid contentious discussions in Geneva aimed at forging a Doha round package by December that would include duty-free quota-free (DFQF) trade for the world’s least developed countries (LDC), U.S. development groups are not actively lobbying Congress to agree to such concessions from the United States, according to informed sources.

This is partially due to the fact that Republicans in the House Committee on Ways and Means have signaled they are not ready to engage on the controversial DFQF issue as they focus on the passage of three pending free trade agreements and renewing two expired preference programs.

A two-year renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) is likely to be included in the final implementing bill for the U.S.-Colombia FTA.

But gridlock in Geneva has also led development groups to shift their efforts away from the issue because the U.S. is setting conditions for implementing DFQF that are unlikely to be met, according to Stephanie Burgos, senior policy adviser at Oxfam America.

“What we have heard consistently from U.S. negotiators is that the problem with moving Doha forward is that there’s not enough on the table for the U.S., and so it’s not appropriate to move forward with [DFQF] at this time,” Burgos said.

“Of course, we disagree with that,” she added, “but that combination of circumstances has led us to believe that it’s unlikely that duty-free quota-free is going to get moved this year.” Continue reading →

Africa Is Awakening, Helped by Free Trade

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Six of the 10 fastest-growing economies of the last decade were in sub-Saharan Africa.

By: DANIEL W. YOHANNES AND MO IBRAHIM

Long a symbol of stagnation, the African continent is experiencing a reawakening. Poverty and hunger are still widespread problems, but Africa’s growing middle class is creating business and investment opportunities that are among the best in the world. With the right trade policy and development assistance, we can unlock the potential of a thriving private sector and lift millions from poverty.

Six of the 10 fastest-growing economies of the last decade were in sub-Saharan Africa, the Economist recently found. And over the next five years, the average African economy will outpace its Asian counterpart. From telecom to financial services, extractive industries and consumer goods, Africa is open for business.

Yet challenges remain steep, from export tariffs that stunt development to the dismal shape of roads, electricity grids and other infrastructure that prevent businesses from getting their goods to market. Transport costs in Africa can be as high as 77% of the value of the exports. This is where smart development assistance must play a role. Two excellent examples that work hand-in-glove can be found in the United States, with the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Enacted in 2000, AGOA reduces the tariffs that African exporters face in U.S. markets while providing technical assistance to help them take advantage of the legislation. In 2010, the initiative brought in $44 billion in African export earnings, a more than 438% increase since its inception in 2001, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission. Overall, calculates former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa Rosa Whitaker, the effort has created more than 300,000 African jobs.

While that law opens the U.S. market, the Millennium Challenge Corporation helps African exporters take advantage of it. In partnership with African governments, the corporation funds projects that build trade capacity, from irrigation systems that boost productivity to airports and seaports for shipping cargo.

To qualify for financing, partner countries must meet international standards for good governance, invest in their citizens, and ensure economic freedom. This means making business-friendly policy reforms, such as fighting corruption and eliminating the red tape that suffocates entrepreneurship. These are many of the same standards that businesses look for when deciding where to invest capital.

Trade and development policies often conflict with each other, but in this case the U.S. government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation have devised a coherent approach to foster the domestic and international conditions that will enable Africa’s private sector to thrive.

Now we should be working to expand opportunities for AGOA-approved goods in sectors where Africa has significant potential for growth, like agriculture. Africa accounts for 60% of the world’s arable but uncultivated land, and although 70% of Africans are involved in agriculture, the continent still faces considerable hunger and malnutrition.

The United States is doing its part by investing in agriculture projects through the Millennium Challenge Corporation. But, together with African governments and businesses, more needs to be done to build the production capacity of African farmers and improve their links with U.S. markets.

America has always given generously to the cause of poverty reduction in Africa, but moral leadership is not the only interest at stake. Other nations seeking to gain a foothold in emerging African markets are investing heavily in their development. Now is not the time to back away. The economic future and national security of the U.S. are equally compelling reasons to invest in Africa’s growth.

Mr. Yohannes is CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Mr. Ibrahim is chairman of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and a board member of the global antipoverty advocacy group, ONE.

Article originally printed by the Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2011

Looking forward from Lusaka

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Originally published by ONE – Jun 16th, 2011

Being on the ground to mark the 10th AGOA Forum in Lusaka this past week, surrounded by business, government and non-governmental leaders dedicated to a trade and investment approach to African prosperity, gave us ample opportunity to reflect on how the relationship between Africa and the US has changed over the last 11 years.

It also served as a reminder that the annual AGOA Forum remains one of the few places where African and American stakeholders can exchange ideas on how trade can most effectively support development. The AGOA Forum reserves time each year to build consensus toward action and to set the tone for activities over the coming year.

The tone at this year’s forum increasingly emphasized finding intersections for deeper collaboration among AGOA’s stakeholders. Several new developments emerged from this year’s meeting, but each requires some additional thought and attention to take advantage of the underlying opportunity.

  • The African Union (AU) was appointed the coordinating body for AGOA in Washington. This will be the first time a regional body has a clear mandate to represent African countries on AGOA in the US. This is a huge step forward for African advocacy for the legislation, particularly in a difficult political and economic climate in the US. While the AU has the strong leadership to provide a unified voice on behalf of the 41 AGOA-eligible countries, the AU requires many, many more resources to be empowered as AGOA advocates.
  • The Obama Administration has finally put its weight behind, first, the renewal of the critical third-country fabric provision, and later, AGOA in full. AGOA as a whole is set to expire in 2015, but both the Obama Administration and African nations are bullish on AGOA’s chances of being extended. That extension will not only give Africa more time to expand manufacturing capacity, it will also provide current and prospective investors with the assurance that they will continue to benefit from AGOA’s quota- and duty-free access to the US market into the foreseeable future. The third country fabric provision allows African apparel manufacturers to create supply even if nascent domestic textile industries cannot meet demand. This provision expires in 2012. Most apparel supply chains, however, operate with nine months of lead time on orders, so without the administration following through on its commitment to immediate action with Congress on renewing the third country fabric provision, businesses currently sourcing in Africa may be forced to source elsewhere.
  • Jointly-developed African and American ideas were championed -– and enthusiasm for shaking up norms was evident. On the final day of the Forum, Zambia’s President Rupiah Banda endorsed “Enterprise for Development.” “Enterprise for Development” is a proposal calling for a number of important enhancements to AGOA that was introduced in Washington last year by the AGOA Action Committee. Among the proposed changes was a recommendation to increase tax incentives for US businesses operating in Africa. Other calls for creative approaches that benefit both the US and Africa were echoed by the Minister for Trade and Industry of Ghana, the Hon. Hanna Tetteh. It is imperative that, through concerted and coordinated advocacy, we put our best thinking toward enhancing AGOA over the coming year, so that, in another ten years, AGOA will be a fully-realized, jointly-owned success.

We look forward to seeing how the expanded roles and responsibilities highlighted during this year’s Forum are absorbed -– and how quickly they translate into action over the coming year. To accelerate the process, we’d call for a clear outline of what each group of stakeholders will be expected to contribute. We’d especially like to see a commitment by the US government to: 1) hold next year’s AGOA Forum in a US commercial hub, like Chicago or Houston, and 2) publish a strong plan for bringing more American businesses to the table.

In many ways, AGOA’s path to success seems to be a series of individual sprints, with each annual AGOA Forum as an endline. With a clearly developed set of responsibilities and expected outcomes –- along with a strategy for executing against them –- Washington can help US businesses carry the baton forward in creating jobs in Africa and building global prosperity.

Creating Partnerships to Address NCDs

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This post was written by Jeffrey L. Sturchio, president and CEO of the Global Health Council.

Recently I had the opportunity to spend time with senior health officials from several African countries as part of the annual African Health Delegation visit organized by Global Health Progress.  The theme of the week—“Accelerating Progress Through Strengthened Partnerships”—points to the growing attention to collaboration at all levels as an effective approach to solving critical global health challenges.    The Brazzaville Declaration adopted earlier this month by the first Africa Regional Ministerial Consultation on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) also acknowledges the importance of partnerships, alliances and networks that join academic and research institutions, public and private sectors, and civil society as vital tools in the prevention and control of cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and respiratory illness.

But the notion of partnership also raises important questions about what we mean by the term:  Who makes the decisions?  Who controls the money?  How do partnerships fit with country ownership of health strategies and action plans?    African health ministries must grapple with the pragmatic issues of addressing a broad spectrum of public health challenges with scarce financial and human resources, often while juggling myriad inquiries and disparate reporting requirements from many well-intentioned development partners.   The members of the African Health Delegation had a range of questions and discerning observations for us about how to put real country ownership into practice, while their comments about practices in their countries (ranging from the complex federal system in Nigeria to the smaller, yet still complicated situations in countries like Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland) clarified the issues of partnership for the mix of academic, NGO and private sector leaders in their audiences in both Washington, DC, and New York.     The perspectives that delegation members offered on the questions we discussed were illuminating and informative.  The lively exchanges at the events I attended reinforced a basic insight:  global health policy can’t be designed in a vacuum, and there’s no substitute for local knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. Continue reading →

Africans Leading the Charge on Global Health Progress

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April 20, 2011 – Francis Ansong

This week, I represent Ghana in the ongoing battle against Africa’s outsized disease burden.

The author, Francis Ansong, a Research Associate in The Whitaker Group’s Accra office, is pictured with Dr. Frank Nyonator, Ghana’s Director of the Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation - Ministry of Health.

The author, Francis Ansong, a Research Assistant in The Whitaker Group’s Accra office, is pictured with Dr. Frank Nyonator, Ghana’s Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation - Ministry of Health.

On April 10th, I traveled from my home in Accra, Ghana to Washington D.C. to join a group of senior African health officials – leaders from Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Swaziland and Uganda – and take part in Global Health Progress’ (GHP’s) 4th Annual Health Delegation.

Through GHP, African health officials meet with U.S. government representatives, members of the donor community, the private sector, NGOs and universities, to talk with global health stakeholders and work to align their priorities in the fight to overcome Africa’s health challenges.

Although the meetings are critical for partners to connect – some who have talked only at a distance before this opportunity allowed them to meet face-to-face – it is the chance to speak directly and openly about Africa’s health needs that draws delegates to Washington D.C. and New York City each year. And, for me, it was inspiring to hear these leaders speak first-hand about their experiences at the front lines and how they’ve overcome hurdles to achieve success.

Continue reading →

World Health Day 2011: Breaking the Silence on Africa’s Silent Epidemic

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When people consider health challenges in Africa they usually picture infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria or a host of tropical ailments – diseases that remain distant to the lives of the majority of Americans. But today, on World Health Day, I want to highlight an epidemic not often associated with Africa that is nevertheless sweeping the continent – non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

NCDs encompass diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, so called “diseases of the rich.” In the developed world, we assiduously track their prevalence and mobilize vast resources to treat and cure them. In the developing world, where data on NCDs are scare, the conversation around prioritizing approaches and resource allocation to combat NCDs is just beginning to take place. And while the diseases are the same, the outcome and impact are radically different.

Shockingly, the UN estimates that, due largely to under-diagnosis and lack of effective treatments, 80% of people who die from NCDs live in the developing world. Few national health systems in Africa are equipped to manage illnesses like cancer, heart disease and diabetes that can be chronic or long-term and expensive to treat. According to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, NCDs already cost low- and middle-income countries as much as 5% of their GDPs.

This is no reason, however, to admit defeat and continue to ignore the problem. Continue reading →

The Whitaker Group President Adds Voice to Discussion on Intra-African Trade

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Washington, D.C – Rosa Whitaker, founder and CEO of The Whitaker Group, participated in an October 8th panel discussion on accelerating intra-African trade, hosted by the World Bank and chaired by Obiageli Ezekwesili, World Bank Vice President for Africa. The seminar was held concurrently with the World Bank’s and the International Monetary Fund’s annual meetings.

Panel participants, who included Ms. Whitaker, alongside the Honorable Maxwell Mkwezalamba, African Union Commissioner for Economic Affairs; Mr. William Egbe, President of Coco Cola in South Africa; Pravin Gordhan, South African Minister of Finance; Dr. Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Director for the Centre for the Study of African Economies at The University of Oxford; and Mr. Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings Limited and former Chief Executive of the United Bank for Africa, focused on a complex, but vital question, “Can Africa Trade With Africa?”

Intra-African trade amounts to only 10% of the region’s total trade, compared with 40% for intra-American trade and 60% for intra-European trade. The panel assessed independent and collaborative roles the public and private sector can play in driving a regional trade agenda. Ms. Whitaker, the architect of the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), offered invaluable insight into how AGOA’s successes might be extended to promote intra-African trade gains.

AGOA has contributed to improved business and regulatory environments on the continent, with the modernization of Africa’s labor laws as a reform dividend. AGOA has also encouraged regional trade, most notably through its 35% rule of origin clause, which allows inputs from other African countries, encouraging investment in markets that would otherwise lack the inputs to produce finished goods.

Ms. Whitaker advocated for the permanent establishment of AGOA, which is currently set to expire in 2012. She proposed a series of innovative tax incentives to reward those who invest in Africa and those who source products from Africa. These measures, part of the AGOA Action Committee’s Enterprise for Development Proposal, would use the U.S. tax code, which has historically been used a transformative political tool, to spur economic development.

Developing African Commodities Exchanges

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Most African countries are highly dependent on the exports of a few primary commodities. Historically this dependency has rendered them extremely vulnerable to volatility in world prices, but increasingly erratic weather patterns caused by climate change are exacerbating the problem.

A good example is the recent surge in wheat prices caused by the drought in Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter. The price rise – as much as 92% since the beginning of June – is the result not just of a Russian ban on wheat exports, but also speculators’ purchase of as much as 400% of available supplies. While US consumers may see a modest rise in the price of wheat-based products, consumers are protected from sharper increases because US farmers sold their wheat in advance of the harvest at a guaranteed price considerably lower than the current price. A price spike in Africa, which does not have access to global exchanges and similar risk-mitigating tools, could generate a food crisis similar to the one experienced in 2008 when wheat futures reached record prices.

Climate change is expected to disproportionately affect Africa’s farmers because poverty and underdevelopment make it harder for them to adapt quickly to changing weather patterns. These challenges are compounded by the fact that unlike American or European farmers, Africa’s farmers have only limited access to effective commodities exchanges, which can provide the kinds of contracts necessary to offset risks and help plan for the future. These limitations expose farmers to unreasonable risk, severely hampering their competitiveness in the global market and rendering Africa highly vulnerable to food shortages.

Continue reading →

Leadership on Maternal Health at the African Union Summit

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At this week’s AU Summit in Kampala, the Heads of State spoke about maternal and child health during the plenary session, reflecting the theme of the 15th Summit, which was “Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa.”  I was particularly impressed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s comments on the subject.  He began by urging partners to put “their money where their mouth is” and expand resources to reach the health-related Millennium Development Goals.  He pointed out that there is an unfair distribution of limited health resources, and that women get “the short end of the stick.”  He suggested that in order to improve maternal and child health, countries should focus on strengthening primary health systems and sponsoring interventions with a “big bang for the buck.”  Continue reading →

Reshaping the African Health Agenda with Innovative Leadership and Country-Driven Programs

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Melvin P. Foote
27 July 2010

OPINION

Washington, DC — This week Uganda is hosting the AU Heads of State Summit, with a focus on “Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa.”   At a time when most health news showcases the efforts of major western donors like the Gates Foundation, the AU Summit shows African leaders’ commitment to developing priorities and programs that strengthen both national and regional health systems. Continue reading →

African Leaders Hail Public-Private Partnerships During 3rd Annual Visit to the United States

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Rep. Lee; Rosa Whitaker; Dr. Nyonator; Dr. Malefho; Dr. Kamoto; Dr. AzodohLeading health officials from eight sub-Saharan African countries have just completed a weeklong visit to Washington (June 21 to June 25) hosted by Global Health Progress (GHP), where they highlighted successful public-private partnerships in addressing critical health challenges in Africa and stressed the need for continued US public support to strengthen African health care systems. Continue reading →

Rosa Whitaker on VoxAfrica’s “Shoot the Messenger”

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June 13, 2010
VoxAfrica TV

Rosa Whitaker was on VoxAfrica TV at 8:00 AM EST this Sunday, June 13, discussing the success of AGOA and prospects for a similar trade preference program for Africa in the UK.  She was interviewed along with a panel on the popular show “Shoot the Messenger” by award-winning journalist Henry Bonsu.  Ms. Whitaker’s interview runs from 26:38 to 35:21. Continue reading →

Notes from “Innovative Mechanisms for Maximizing Capital Flows to Africa”

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April 26, 2010
Washington, DC

On April 26, 2010, The Whitaker Group and the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Prosperity convened a diverse group of global development stakeholders to discuss new strategies and initiatives to maximize capital flows to Africa at a lunch event sponsored by The Western Union Company.  African Finance Ministers, Ambassadors, US business and policy leaders, multilateral development bank officials and heads of emerging market funds gathered together to share best practices and innovative initiatives. Continue reading →

2010 World Cup to be Platform for Health Initiatives

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The private sector, soccer associations and public and multilateral bodies are teaming up to use the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a platform to bring public health awareness and services to vulnerable communities in Africa.  Japanese electronics company Sony is partnering with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to provide HIV testing, free condoms and HIV counseling at public screenings of World Cup games in Cameroon and Ghana. Continue reading →

Collier Warns Against Expanding AGOA to Non-African Least Developed Countries

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Eminent development economist Dr. Paul Collier, Director of the Center for the Study of African Economies at Oxford University, warned last week that expanding the trade preferences currently reserved for eligible African nations by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to all Least Developed Countries (LDCs) would be disastrous for African economic development. Continue reading →

Notes from “Leaders Forum on the 10-Year Anniversary of AGOA”

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April 26, 2010
Washington, DC

On April 26th, The Whitaker Group and the AGOA Action Committee co-hosted a Leaders Forum with the Africa Coalition for Trade, the African-American Unity Caucus, the Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa, the Constituency for Africa, the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, Manchester Trade, and the Corporate Council on Africa to address remaining challenges in trade-based development for Africa and a way forward for US-Africa economic policy.  The coalition also unveiled a comprehensive Africa economic policy recommendation for the Obama Administration, found here. Continue reading →

President of African Development Bank Applauds Resilience of the Continent in the Aftermath of the Financial Crisis

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Mr. Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), last Monday declared that Africa’s resilience during the recent global economic crisis had proven that macroeconomic reforms over the past two decades had successfully strengthened the continent’s economic foundations. Continue reading →

Enterprise for Development: A New US Policy Approach Toward Africa

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On April 26, 2010, the AGOA Action Committee introduced a new six-pronged Africa policy framework entitled “Enterprise for Development: A New US Policy Approach Toward Africa,” or EnDev.  The proposal will be presented to the Obama Administration and Congress in support of their on-going work to strengthen and enhance expanded US engagement, trade, investment and proven poverty alleviation efforts with Africa. Continue reading →