UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL ADVISER ON AFRICA, CRISTINA DUARTE, CHALLENGES AFRICAN LEADERS TO LOOK INWARD FOR AFRICA’S SOLUTION

The United Nations Special Adviser on Africa and Under-Secretary-General, Madam Cristina Duarte, has challenged African leaders to look inward for solutions to Africa’s economic challenges.

According to her, it is not true that Africa is financed by outside funding because Africa loses US$300 billion annually through illicit financial flows out of the Continent; a figure which is more than what the Continent receives from aid and loans from donors and the international market.

 

Illicit financial flows refer to the movement of money across borders that is illegal in its source (e.g. corruption, smuggling), its transfer (e.g. tax evasion), or its use (e.g. terrorist financing)

 

In her view, this shows that Africa does not have resource-generating challenges but rather weak institutions and structures to retain the monies generated on the Continent.

 

Addressing journalists after her courtesy call on the President of the Pan-African Parliament, Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira, Madam Duarte, said it is about time Africans change their mindset that Africa can only progress with outside help. She insisted that finding African solutions to African problems will require a change in mindset and a strong domestic resource mobilization effort. “We need to stop looking outside Africa for our solutions. The solutions are here. Africa needs to do a retrospection of its multilateral relations and position”, she added. 

 

Madam Duarte described the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as the panacea to Africa’s economic development. She, therefore, encouraged African leaders to be committed to its success. She pointed out that what Africa has achieved with the AfCFTA so far is encouraging, noting that “The process may be slow, but consistency and persistence may make it work. Other Continental trade elsewhere took forty years to achieve. Africa should not be pressurized to achieve this in ten years.”

 

She indicated that the United Nations is ready to support sustainable development in Africa. “This is why I am here to start a fruitful collaboration with Africa’s Parliament to advance the African agenda. Today Africa faces a multitude of challenges in the areas of food security and energy for instance. These problems should be processed as opportunities. We are here to seek support from the PAP around three important key areas namely financing for development, energy, and climate dynamics, and the nexus between peace and security and development,”.

 

On his part, the President of the Pan-African Parliament, Hon Chief Fortune Charumbira, observed that the narrative at the United Nations about Africa is mostly wrong and the Under Secretary-General’s visit may help to change that narrative.

 

He noted that this is the first time that the Pan-African Parliament is receiving such a high-profile personality from the United Nations.

 

He assured her that PAP is the only organ of the African Union that truly represents the people of Africa, observing that, “We have people from every part of Africa, even people that comes from the remotest places in Africa are here to represent their people.”