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On Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:02:17 +0200, Earl Evleth <...@wanadoo.fr
He had already visited Kenya twice and that country is NOT a model
to praise. Ghana is quite a bit better although personally I found
corruption too high for my Euro-American taste. But they just
had a correct democratic election and they are a failed country.
Obama is also telegraphing that he is not just going to say nice
things for political profit.
We some photos from our visit to Ghana several years ago
on the web but I suppose that those interested in seeing them
have seen them.
The corruption index is given at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index
Denmark, is tops but a lot of countries are near the top
in being the least corrupt (9-10 on a scale of 10). The
US is 7.3, stands 18th. France is 6.9, and 23rd; Ghana
at 3.9 is 67th. Iraq is 1.3 and 178/180. Ghana is better
than India, for instance (3.4 and 85th)
******
Africa: Ghana Visit to Highlight Effective Governance, Says Obama
Charles Cobb Jr., Tami Hultman and Reed Kramer
Washington, DC "Lifting up successful models" of democracy in Africa
encourages more democracy on the continent, President Barack Obama told
AllAfrica Thursday, explaining why he chose the West African nation of Ghana
as the first sub-Saharan African country he would visit next week as
President of the United States.
"Countries that are governed wellwhere leadership recognizes that they are
accountable to the people and that institutions are stronger than any one
person have a track record of producing results for the people", the
president said. Ghana's new president, John Atta Mills, has demonstrated
"the kinds of democratic commitments that ensure stability in a country. And
we want to highlight that."
The pace of progress to good governance is uneven, Mr. Obama acknowledged.
"In my father's own country of Kenya, I'm concerned about how political
parties do not seem to be moving into a permanent reconciliation that would
allow the country to move forward. And Kenya is not alone."
Africa is a place of "extraordinary promise," Obama told AllAfrica, but is
"not going to to be able to fulfill those promises unless we see better
governance."
"I think part of what's hampered African development is that for many years
we've made excuses about corruption or poor governance," the president said.
White House/AllAfrica
President Obama speaks to AllAfrica at the White House.
The conversation with AllAfrica - the only pre-trip presidential interview
devoted to Africa - was conducted in the Blue Room at the White House, with
Charles Cobb posing the questions.
Before visiting Ghana, Obama will travel to Russia and then to L'Aquila,
Italy for a series of summit meetings, beginning with the G8 industrialized
countries. Joining the discussions on the second day (June 9) will be the
'Group of Five' largest emerging economies, which include South Africa, as
well as China, Brazil, India and Mexico. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
has been invited by Italian President Berlusconi to join that session.
Obama will have a bilateral meeting with the South African president, Jacob
Zuma, who will also participate in the Major Economies Forum, which
President Obama will co-chair Thursday evening. African countries who have
been invited to participate in a working breakfast Friday morning with G8
leaders and the heads of five large international organizations include
Angola, Algeria, Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia and Libya, each of whom
.currently chairs a pan African body.
Obama told AllAfrica that the meetings with African presidents during the G8
Summit, plus the decision to include Ghana in next week's travel, "show
that Africa is directly connected to our entire foreign policy approach,
that it's not some isolated thing where every once in a while you go visit
Africa for a while to check that box."
The president "looks forward to traveling more widely in Africa," Michelle
Gavin, senior director for Africa at the National Security Council, told a
press briefing Wednesday. But the "intentional" choice of an African
stopover at this time underscores that "African voices are an important
part of global discussions on key global issues," she said.
The president is scheduled to land in Accra late Friday evening, accompanied
by First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia. He will deliver
a major address to the Ghanaian Parliament on Saturday, followed by a tour
of the Cape Coast Castle, an ancient fort that was used to detain slaves
bound for trans-Atlantic shipping.
The Ghanaian address will focus on development and democracy, according to
Denis McDonough, deputy national security advisor and a long-time Obama
aide. It will be the last in a four-speech series on foreign policy,
following a nuclear non-proliferation address in Prague in April, a June 4
speech in Cairo to the Muslim world., and a scheduled talk on Tuesday in
Moscow.
In the interview, the president called for "opening up better trade
opportunities" for Africa. He said less economic development assistance
should be spent on western consultants and administrative costs and more for
the people it is intended to benefit. He said technology tools should be
used to streamline and track aid and improve delivery, saying "our aid
policies have been splintered." And he said "low-tech" approaches could
prompt an African "green revolution."
He advocated "a practical, hardheaded approach" to improve daily lives of
Africans, based on effective governance. "You're not going to get investment
without good governance," he said. He also said strategic planning for
industrial development, "great emphasis on education" to develop a skilled
workforce and technology transfers that nurture "homegrown industries" are
components of sound policies, citing South Korea's economic success.
Asked whether U.S. policies or African governments have failed Africa, Obama
said colonialism had spurred conflict and imposed inequitable terms of
trade. But, he said, "the fact is we're in 2009, and neither the western
world nor the United States is responsible for some of the "disastrous
policies" in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. Africa's people, he said, understand
that but haven't always had the opportunity to "organize and voice their
opinions in ways that create better results."
Obama said that at the end of his term in office, "I would like to be able
to say that the United States was an effective partner" with African
countries in building political, civil and economic institutions that led to
"improving standards of living and greater security." He would like, he
said, to assist Africa on the path of integration into the global economy,
where young people will be able to say, "I can stay in my country and
succeed, and, through my success, my county and my people will get stronger.
That would be a good legacy."
Read the full interview with President Obama
View the Video: Obama Talks to AllAfrica [Part 1]
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