British Chancellor Gordon Brown has made an impassioned call to end the ”outrage” of suffering in Africa, warning that fears of corruption should not become an excuse to do nothing.
Days before the publication of a groundbreaking report drawn up by British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Commission for Africa, on which the chancellor sits, he called for a similar rescue effort in the stricken continent to the plan devised for rebuilding Europe after World War II.
”Our interest in Africa must start from the sense that something is wrong, and it’s an outrage that so many people are dying and suffering unnecessarily,” he said.
”But it’s also going to be in our benefit in the long run for the developed countries to have a Marshall Plan for Africa.” The West could benefit not only from trade with a flourishing Africa but increased security, with terrorism gaining a foothold on the continent, he suggested.
Brown’s words, in an interview for a Time magazine story on Africa, foreshadow the conclusions of the commission expected to be published in Britain on Friday. Calling for a doubling of aid to the continent, it is expected to identify corruption as the single most important factor holding Africa back, but suggests responsibility be shouldered not just by officials who take bribes but by the Western businessmen who offer them to secure lucrative contracts.
Brown said the West has learned much more about successful development since the Live Aid era, adding: ”We have learned that transparency is the best weapon against corruption, which has been one of the great problems of Africa — but also the great excuse to do nothing. We have the science, the technology, and the medicine we need now.”
The world is ”not spending enough”, he added, arguing that even if aid were doubled there is the capacity to absorb it — particularly on vaccination campaigns.
Billed as the most serious analysis of the continent’s problems for a generation, the Commission for Africa report is an important personal touchstone not just for the chancellor — who travelled to Africa in January — but also for Blair.
Blair will lead calls on Friday for the Group of Eight (G8) countries to adopt its proposals, expected to include an extra $50-billion in aid over five years worldwide, along with the dismantling of trade barriers, writing off debts and stamping out corruption.
Aid charities said, however, that Britain’s own record in prosecuting businesses that have offered bribes — and in returning cash siphoned illicitly from the continent — is among the worst of the world’s rich countries.
Tens of billions of pounds of looted African cash is estimated to pass through Britain, with the investigation firm Kroll saying £500-million looted by disgraced former Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi and his family alone is sitting in London bank vaults. But precious little money identified by British banks has been returned to African nations.
Charles Abugre, Christian Aid head of policy, said: ”Britain is among the worst of the G8 countries in returning cash to Africa. Even Switzerland has a better record. UK subsidiaries based overseas are exempt from international anti-bribery legislation and are allowed to make so-called ‘facilitation’ payments to secure contracts.”
The British government is trying to delay a damaging report due this week from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, expected to be highly critical of Britain’s record in combating bribery to overseas government officials.
A Downing Street spokesperson said on Saturday night: ”Britain has been the driving force of imposing sanctions against corruption. Our own legislation is as good as any legislation in the world.” — Guardian Unlimited Â