From Africa Recovery, Vol.11#1 (July 1997), page 22
Good governance key to progress
Special Initiative supports development of African governance programmes
By Margaret A. Novicki
Decentralization and civil society empowerment have emerged as among the major priorities of African governments as they seek to improve the quality of their political and economic governance. Along with reforming judiciaries, parliaments, public administration, and electoral processes, these priorities are emphasized in national governance programmes which were presented by African governments at the first Africa Governance Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 11-12 July.
Co-sponsored by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Forum was held in the context of the UN System-wide Special Initiative on Africa, and, it is hoped, may become an annual event. The meeting was designed to provide an opportunity for African countries to engage in a dialogue with their international partners on the state of governance in the continent from the perspective of national efforts being undertaken.
"There is no single issue of greater importance to either the economic or political future of Africa," UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told participants in a video-taped address. "We are witnessing, I believe, a new wave of progress in Africa, based on peace, democracy, human rights and sustainable development," he said. "Together, these four principles form the pillars of good governance."
Representatives of 18 donor countries, the Organization of African Unity, the African Development Bank, UN agencies and other international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) heard presentations in Addis Ababa of the governance priorities of 14 countries. Mali, Uganda and South Africa emphasized decentralization, while Ethiopia and Mozambique highlighted electoral and parliamentary reform. Botswana, Malawi and Madagascar examined issues of constitutional and judicial reform and human rights. Senegal, Cameroon, Mauritius and Togo discussed socio-economic management and public administration, while Ghana and Swaziland focused on empowerment and participation. "Our expectation," Mr. K.Y. Amoako, ECA Executive Secretary, said in his address to the Forum, "is that these efforts will achieve greater coordination at country level, and hopefully, mobilization of resources in support of governance programmes on a more predictable basis."
The Special Initiative is a programme of concrete actions launched by the UN in March 1996 to accelerate African development over the next decade by boosting access to basic education, health and water. It also places a high priority on improving the quality of governance in Africa, in recognition of its critical role in creating a conducive climate for development and economic growth. The Initiative's governance component focuses on three areas: expanding capacities for transparent, responsible and effective governance; strengthening the role of civil society in development, including peace-building; and bolstering the OAU's capacity for peace-building, conflict resolution and national reconciliation.
As the lead agencies for this component of the Special Initiative, UNDP and the ECA are focusing resources on forging a consensus in Africa on how best to build good governance practices a politically sensitive issue. This process was launched in May with a preparatory conference in Addis Ababa for some 30 NGOs and civil society organizations (CSOs) from around the continent. The meeting culminated in a consensus statement on governance (see page 24), which, along with the findings of the Forum, will feed into the UNDP-sponsored International Conference on Governance for Sustainable Growth and Equity, to be held in New York on 28-30 July.
UNDP currently devotes 39 per cent of its resources to the governance arena, arguing that sustainable human development will not be realized without "strong, effective and participatory good governance," according to Administrator James Gustave Speth. While there is little dispute over the validity of this point, in Africa governance issues have been controversial. Until recently, many countries were governed by one-party or military regimes, characterized by arbitrary rule and a lack of transparency. Calls for improvements in governance were regarded as an unwarranted addition to the already numerous conditionalities imposed from abroad. However, with the end of the Cold War, a continent-wide wave of democratization has resulted in the replacement of one-party governments with multi-party systems and the growth in influence of civil society organizations. The debate is now shifting to how best to promote good governance practices so as to advance the pace of economic development.
Through presentations of national governance programmes, which highlighted individual countries' achievements and constraints, the Africa Governance Forum identified the essential components of good governance as including: leadership-building; transparency and accountability; civil society empowerment; the advancement of women; political transition; peace and stability; the rule of law and constitutional guarantees; and free and responsible media.
According to a recent UNDP policy document, good governance ensures that political, social and economic priorities are based on a broad societal consensus and that the poorest and most vulnerable have a voice in decision-making over the allocation of development resources. This is an area that needs strengthening in Africa, where despite progress on the electoral front, the institutions of democratic government, their linkages to civil society and the values which underpin good governance remain weak. As a consequence, development is held back. "People in new democracies are impatient that a child is not provided a school, that a hospital has not been built, that the goodness of life associated with democracy has not yet been fulfilled," President Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
But the problem, as Mr. Amoako explained, is that "poor governance" has resulted in "weak professional and institutional capacity" to address Africa's development challenges. The continent's social and political upheavals and economic crises can be traced to these weaknesses, he told the NGO/CSO Forum in Addis Ababa. "Narrow political considerations" have taken precedence over the public good, Mr. Amoako continued. Power has been personalized rather than "embedded in rules and institutions," and patronage and corruption have pervaded the administrative and political culture.
Fostering good economic governance
To reverse this situation, efforts are now being focused on redefining the role of government, improving its efficiency and implementing new approaches to capacity building. This entails fostering good "economic governance" practices, Mr. Amoako said, including effective public sector management systems, a professional civil service and an appropriate legal framework for development which provides a predictable and stable environment for economic transactions. Systems which ensure economic and financial accountability and transparency also should be put in place, he added.
Several African governments are placing a priority on upgrading public administration and management. Senegal's governance programme, for example, calls for improving economic management and civil service delivery.It also emphasizes decentralization, a priority for many countries as a means of improving government efficiency. South Africa has launched a National Council of the Provinces to present the views from the provincial and local government levels to the apex of the legislative process. It has also instituted a new local government system. Uganda as well has undertaken a programme of democratic decentralization to devolve power and resources to locally elected councils.
Strengthening civil society
As part of its contribution to the Special Initiative, the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa has developed the Special Initiative on Governance in Africa (SIGA) to improve the effectiveness of governance throughout the continent by addressing five areas: leadership building, transparency and accountability, civil society empowerment, political transition, and peace and stability. By improving governance, the image of the continent also can be enhanced, which in turn can contribute towards building a constituency for development assistance to Africa in donor countries.
SIGA aims to build and strengthen decision-making in government and civil society by supporting capacity building and information and experience sharing on the responsibilities of public office holders and citizens, the limitations on power and the importance of a balance of power. Another key area of emphasis is empowering civil society to provide a countervailing weight to the state and to influence public decisions, especially on development priorities, the delivery of services and the use of public resources.
This area has emerged as a priority in several governance programmes. For example, Ghana's programme calls for reform of the legislative environment for CSOs and an improvement in relations between CSOs and the three branches of government: parliament, the executive and judiciary. In Swaziland, civic education will be undertaken to empower women and other disadvantaged groups to take a more active role in the development process.
The ECA is also supporting efforts to strengthen civil society's participation in development and governance. A regional resource centre will be established to improve the capacities of African NGOs and CSOs. The centre will foster dialogue between government and CSOs as well as CSO involvement in conflict prevention and peace-building. It will also provide training and technical assistance in organizational capacity building, leadership development, advocacy with policy-makers, networking and dissemination of technical information. The centre will issue policy papers and analyses on the state of civil society in Africa and will offer national, subregional and regional training workshops.
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