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African leaders discuss access to Western markets
Leaders and senior officials from 20 African countries met in Rwanda on Saturday to find ways to get African farmers better access to lucrative American and European markets. Members of the New Partnership for Africa Development, or NEPAD, worked to hammer out a common position on how to persuade the United States and European countries to reduce or eliminate the massive agricultural subsidies they give their farmers, Claver Gatete, a senior NEPAD official, told The Associated Press. The African leaders and officials "are trying to see how African countries, African products can access markets in developed countries ... where they are providing subsidies of almost US$1 billion per day for agricultural products," Gatete said. Western countries spend about US$300 billion a year supporting their farmers, subsidies that African countries argue undercut the competitive advantage of one of the continentâs main industries. The subsidies have "really prohibited" African farmers from selling their produce in Western countries, Gatete said.Heâs got a point. Helping African countries with trade would be better long-term than aid and subsidies. The two-day summit began Friday when 16 nations launched a self-policing system intended to combat negative perceptions of Africa and make the worldâs poorest continent more attractive to private investors. On Saturday, Angola became the 17th country to join the initiative known as the African Peer Review Mechanism, said Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. If this actually works I may have to buy a new surprise meter, âcause the one I have now will burn out. Under the initiative, countries will open themselves up to scrutiny by independent agencies, such as the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa, which will consult with governments, the private sector and members of civil society to gauge economic and political conditions, focusing on corruption, human rights and the investment environment. Make it open to U.S. agencies and Iâll be even more impressed. The review mechanism will operate under the African Unionâs NEPAD, the latest initiative to encourage development and investment in the continent beset by conflict, human rights abuses, poor infrastructure and corruption. NEPAD has been trumpeted as an African effort to solve Africaâs problems, but the African Union, the continentâs main body, is strapped for cash -- inheriting large debts from its predecessor, the Organization for African Unity -- and has been criticized for being little more than a talking shop. Which is the history of Africa. But fixing the agri-trade issue could make it easier to fight the WoT. Posted by: Steve White 2004-02-15 |
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