- The Strategist - https://www.aspistrategist.org.au -
Announcing the first Australia–Africa Leadership Dialogue
Posted By Hayley Channer on March 18, 2013 @ 11:00
Earlier this month, The Economist carried a front-page story on ‘Aspiring Africa’ with the tag-line: ‘The world’s fastest growing continent’. The article praised the significant progress that has occurred in Africa over the last decade, highlighting the continent’s increased stability, higher number of democratic states, better health standards and flourishing economy.
One of the main reasons why there is more optimism in Africa today is because Africa is still riding high on the global commodity boom. The boom is being driven by the high demand from China for Africa’s resources, which has, in turn, played such a significant part in sustaining high economic growth rates in Africa’s resource-producing countries and regions. This is where Australia comes in, and why I think the Africa–Australia dialogue is such an important initiative.
For all the political improvements in Africa, most of us are still doing a poor job of spreading the benefits of the commodity boom across our societies. We have yet to build the kind of strong, accountable institutions that have helped Australia navigate so successfully through the ups and downs of this boom and of previous commodity booms. Nor, sadly, have we made much progress in diversifying our economies.
Some of Africa’s failings are simply down to poor leadership, but in many cases, this has as much to do with lack of exposure—especially to countries like Australia.
I am fully aware that unless African governments improve the way they operate with the private sector, by becoming more efficient, more transparent, more ethical and more engaging, the great potential of the African continent will never be reached.
That is what makes an Africa–Australia dialogue a unique opportunity to share experiences and learn valuable lessons from Australia of how best to harness the immense potential of the African continent.
I couldn’t be happier to witness the rapid growth of Australian interests in Africa because, of the new investors who have arrived over the past ten years or so, I firmly believe that Australia stands out for its unique and specialised expertise in resource management, infrastructure investment, and robust legal and regulatory frameworks.
Australia stands out for the quality of your business practices, the quality of your executives and technicians. These are some of the reasons that I firmly believe that the quality of your engagement with African governments needs to be redefined, enhanced, and strengthened, hence the importance of the central role that the Aus–Africa Dialogue could play.
The Aus–Africa Dialogue will help build the bridge linking the two continents we thought were too wide apart, crossing a sea we thought was too large and windy to cross.
The Aus–Africa Dialogue will help foster a new and much richer appreciation of each other, and I am excited by how much good could flow from it, for both of our peoples. The Aus–Africa Dialogue aims to provide a strategic direction in this growing and important relationship, and we hope it will become an annual event.
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[1] Image: http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/aus-africa.jpg
[2] ‘Aspiring Africa’: http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21572773-pride-africas-achievements-should-be-coupled-determination-make-even-faster
[3] GDP is expected to rise to an average of 6% a year: http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21572377-african-lives-have-already-greatly-improved-over-past-decade-says-oliver-august?zid=304&ah=e5690753dc78ce91909083042ad12e30
[4] 100 million Africans will earn incomes greater than $3000: http://www.economist.com/node/21541008
[5] The Brenthurst Foundation: http://www.thebrenthurstfoundation.org/
[6] ‘Fuelling the Dragon: natural resources and China’s development’: http://www.aspi.org.au/publications/publication_details.aspx?ContentID=349
[7] Congo born and raised Thomas Nziratimana: http://www.thebrenthurstfoundation.org/associates-Thomas-Nziratimana.htm
[8] ASPI website: http://www.aspi.org.au/