There are only a few moments in one's life when one is willing to wholeheartedly believe the words coming out of a politician's mouth. One such moment for me was when I listened to Africa's first female head of state speak of a new Africa that is unfolding in our time.
Standing before an audience of more than 700 people for the sixth Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture, President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf epitomised the new Africa she spoke of. This pragmatic and sharp-minded politician, this lover and believer of African glory, this Harvard-educated economist, this mother of four is indeed a far cry from the tyrannical dictators whose histories continue to influence stereotypical imagery of African leadership and whose legacies haunt the memories of this continent.
With a political career that spans almost three decades, Sirleaf has braved imprisonment and two periods of exile during her country's civil war era, lasting from 1989 to 2003.
Taking office as president in 2006, she was faced with the difficult task of rebuilding a post-conflict African country. Yet her resolve to succeed in reviving Liberia's economy, developing infrastructure, providing basic services and promoting good governance and accountability are not only inspiring but yielding results. For example, economic growth in Liberia is now nearing double digits and the country moved up 73 places in just three years in the World Bank Institute's "control of corruption" index - from 190th out of 206 countries to 113th.
Her address at the Nelson Mandela Lecture was titled Behold The New Africa; the speech was far less of an optimistic prophesy of what may one day come but a celebration of achievements made thus far, an awakening to the economic and political developments achieved in Africa in the last two decades.
Economic Growth and Development
Sirleaf reminded us that in the 1980s almost every sub-Saharan African country faced a macroeconomic crisis of one form or another, with high rates of inflation, large budget deficits, and growing trade gaps.
"These macroeconomic problems are now distant memories for most of our countries," reflected Sirleaf. "With a few unfortunate exceptions, countries have shifted to much stronger economic policies, inflation has been kept to single digits (and) foreign exchange reserves have increased significantly. Budget and trade deficits are much smaller than they were in the past, and African countries have created a more conducive environment to encourage private sector participation and stimulate investment, including foreign direct investment."
As a result, Africa's economic growth has averaged more than five percent a year over the past five years.
Sirleaf admits that this faster growth is not yet fast enough as it is insufficient to effectively combat poverty in many of our countries.
"But we've got to agree that it is a start," she said. "It is enough to begin to raise per capita income and purchasing power, and it far exceeds the zero growth of the past."
Debt relief
According to Sirleaf, the second big change that is giving rise to Africa's transformation is the end of the three-decade-old debt crisis.
According to the United Nations 2005 Conference on Trade and Development, Africa received US$540 billion in loans between 1970 and 2002. Despite having paid back US$550 billion in principal and interest during the same period, Africa was still US$295 billion in debt by the end of 2002. African countries have therefore spent significant portions of their GDP on repaying interest on loans from far richer countries.
A landmark year for debt relief followed the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles when the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the African Development Bank implemented the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). That year one of the biggest write-offs of debt ever recorded took place, as US$40 billion debt was cancelled. Today, 33 countries have qualified for the first stages of debt write down and 23 of these have completed the process, leading to a reduction of nearly $100 billion in debt.
"The end of the debt crisis means that improved financial conditions will enable governments to increase spending on health, education, infrastructure and civil service wages. Bur perhaps more importantly it also means more independence, ownership and economic management capacity by government authorities who can spend less time negotiating old loans with demanding creditors," said Sirleaf.
Democracy
There has been considerable growth in the democratisation of Africa since the 1990s. From a time when democratic nations were few and far between on the continent, there are today over 20 democracies in sub-Saharan Africa.
"Consider the transformation - in the space of a generation, democracy in Africa has spread from a very few countries to more than one third of the continent," said Sirleaf.
"Some of these are nascent democracies that are still fragile. But for others, the change more clearly prevails. It is hard to predict the future and the change will not be easy or smooth in every country, but never before in the world history have so many low income countries become democracies in so short a period of time."
The fragile reality of young democracies remains a foreboding challenge in Africa. As editor of London's Africa Confidential Patrick Smith writes, "Despite setbacks and thwarted hopes, the democracy glass is at least half-full. The democracy movement in Africa is here to stay, but the struggle continues."
Challenges for this continent still remain. The sustainability of economic growth in Africa will face many tests, as now, when the global economic slowdown exposes our weak spots. Political reform and democratic governance will similarly be put to the test, as now, in Zimbabwe.
However Sirleaf reminds us that the Africa we now engage in is different; it is an Africa filled with opportunity and hope.
"This New Africa is being built every day by the African people who reach out across boundaries real and imagined. It is embedded within the honest and seeking minds of the young, the professionals, the activists, the believers in our continent."
Difficulties remain, trouble spots abound, and many seek to discredit this process, adds Sirleaf. But she believes that we have reached the threshold and there is no turning back from the irreversible transformation of the African continent.
"The New Africa is at hand," she says.
By Lindy Mtongana
