I have attempted to attach the my reaction to the article which is said to be from President Abdoulaye Wade since the table is out coming out well as an in-line text. I hope this works out as I have had a similar situation last time and it failed.
   
  Abdoulie Jawo
  Centre for International Development
  University of Bradford
  United Kingdom

:
  

If the article below is indeed from Abdoulaye Wade, the President of Senegal, it is then only confirming the enormous disappointment that many people in Senegal (in particular) who rallied behind and voted for SOPI (change) in Senegal currently have as many saw SOPI and Wade in office as the beginning of the addressing of the needs and aspirations of the people of Senegal. 

In short, it was anticipated that SOPI in office would be the dawn of a new era of democracy and development in Senegal in particular and the West Africa sub-region in general. The pervasive view was that since Wade had been in the "opposition wilderness" since 1978, when he first contested for the Presidency in Senegal, it was generally assumed that he, Wade, would have mastered the art of good governance and the craft of economic development engineering. This coupled with the campaign promises, the assumptions were virtually transformed into reality in the hearts and minds of the people of Senegal. However, the breakdown of the SOPI coalition within a few months after its landslide victory was the first sign of the virtual emptiness of the promises and the myopic nature of the neo-imperialist-like policies that Wade is pursuing with almost religious fervour. 

On the article below, I have selected a few bullets which I would like to comment on: 

- “Africa needs help today.”

It is apparent from this President Abdoulaye Wade is accepting his failure in addressing the needs and aspirations of his fellow Africans as a president of an African country, Senegal. Mr Wade was elected precisely because Senegal in particular and Africa in general needs help. Now after almost seven years of being at the helm of Senegalese affairs and on the African continent's limelight, he is crying that Africa needs help and he expects that help to come from outside Africa. 

This is despite the fact that in 2004, about 26% of the national budget of Senegal, according to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2004, by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, in the US Department of State, is coming from international financial institutions (IFIs) and other external sources. What is the effect of that help? How much of the national budget of Senegal does Wade wants western institutions to finance? 

It is a shame that some African Presidents not even ashamed of themselves when they utter such calls for assistance? In short, President Wade has confirmed in no uncertain terms that he does not have any answers to the problems of Africa including the oil issues that the article below is highlighting.

-“ ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Total and BP could contribute to stabilizing West Africa by reducing the oil surcharge, it is today.” 

This statement is most disappointing and unfortunate especially coming from the President of Senegal. President Wade is well aware that these companies are not charitable organisations. It is true that they can hide behind some facade of corporate social responsibility policies. However, what is happening in Nigeria in the Orgoni Region, which is just a short missile launch from Wade's seat in Dakar, where Royal Dutch/Shell is swamping in unprecedented riches while the people of Orgoni in particular and Nigerians in general are wallowing in unprecedented poverty, brushes Wade's call for oil corporations to assist Africa as an insensible nonsensicality. 

Why is such a statement by President Wade an insensible nonsensicality? 

For example, Shell is claiming to be making a profit in the region of $US10 million a month in Orgoni land, while the children of Orgoni land, like youths in Senegal are roaming all over the world in search of wealth since they have been seemingly reduced to utter powerlessness in controlling the wealth of their countries. 

- “As a champion of Market economies...”

President Wade claims to be a champion of market economies which includes policies such as the privatization of SONACOS and the consequent hardship of the Senegalese farmers in marketing their peanuts, just like neighboring Gambia. While President Wade continues to claim to be a champion of market policies, the majority of Senegalese continue to be the losers as a result of such policies. It is very disheartening as an African to see our leaders being conditioned by IFIs on privatization and other so-called market policies just so that the masters of those IFIs have more markets for their companies to invest in. 

What is more saddening is the fact that except the likes of Shell which have long established lucrative businesses in Africa, since 1958 in Nigeria, which they are ready to hold onto even with the threat of death, only a few western companies are ready to genuinely and significantly invest in Africa. 

As a result public companies are privatized with no serious and/or competent private companies to buy and manage. Consequently, while such companies are under the public management, IFIs such as the World Bank would nauseatingly insert in their reports that the “existence of public enterprises is a threat to a government's financial stability”. However, when such enterprises are privatized, under the most inefficient management such as what is happening with SONACOS and GAMCO in The Gambia, the World Bank and its likes are no longer worried about how such companies’ perform and the enormous suffering they unleash on the majority of the people as a result of their inefficiency. 

This confirms that the IFIs' concerns were not inefficiency and the betterment of the lives of the people but something more sinister. If after almost 7 years as a President, Wade has not learnt about these sinister policies but instead is shouting from space that he is a champion of market economies, it only shows his naiveté.

- “It's in the interest not only of America but also the petroleum industry not to have an Africa in ruins.”

President Wade needs to visit Orgoni Land to see for himself the environmental catastrophe being perpetrated by Shell to understand that the industry does not care what happens to Africa as long as they are able to repatriate their savings safely. An article, All for Shell, by Andrew Rowell and Stephen Kretzmann (1996), shows that in July 1970 the Dere Youth Association presented a petition to Shell-BP Dev.Co of Nig. Ltd. Which among other things state highlighted that: "We no longer breathe the natural oxygen, rather we inhale lethal and ghastly gases. Our water can no longer be drunk unless one wants to test the effect of crude oil on the body. We no longer use vegetables, they are all polluted". Source http://www.moles.org/ProjectUnderground/motherlode/shell/timeline.html Date accessed: 30/10/06.

Furthermore, as a result of what Shell calls a lost of US$10 million profits a month as a result of the pretests of Orgoni people, it wanted to sue the people for damages. Wade you think they care whether Africa is in ruins or not as long as they get their profits safely out of Africa? You canniot be serious about this statement. 

In addition, Rowell, A and Kretzmann, S (1996), 10 days before the he was arrested in May 1994, Ken Saro Wiwa wrote"This is it - they are going to arrest us all and execute us. All for Shell". The Rowel and Kretzmann also highlight that: 

"In his final statement to the military tribunal, Ken Saro-Wiwa said, 'I and my colleagues are not the only ones on trial. Shell is here on trial... The company has, indeed, ducked this particular trial, but its day will surely come... for there is no doubt in my mind that the ecological war that the company has waged in the Delta will be called to question sooner than later, and the crimes of that war will be duly punished. The crime of the company's dirty war against the Ogoni people will also be punished'". Ken was indeed right for he and eight others were indeed executed on 31st Oct. 1995, indeed All for Shell.

These statements by Ken Saro Wiwa who knows what monsters companies in the oil industry such as Shell are, is certainly diametrically opposed to the simplicity and naiveté of President Wade. Most of African Presidents, apparently including have naively been transformed into agents of Western interests at the irreparable damage to the development of Africa. Consequently, the sooner we get rid of them and entrust the affairs of Africa to a new generation of conscious and non-demagogic leaders the better for Africa. These conscious African leaders will certainly not be like Wade who would be crying that Africa needs help, while he is placed in the very position to help, but will never admit that since March 2000, when he was elected as President of Senegal with the greatest fanfare in the history of elections in the sub-region, he has miserably and consistently failed to deliver to ensure that that call for help is averted.

In conclusion, looking at the table below based on GDP per capita, by Richard H. Steckel, Ohio State University, which is obtained from http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/steckel.standard.living.us, on how some nations have advanced tremendously while others are near-stagnation, one would realize that in addition to the human capital and other resources, development consists of policies and programmes which can be designed, implemented and managed not for the betterment of outside forces but for the advancement of the people whom the development is meant for. This is what Presidents like Wade have failed to do, but instead they are promulgating policies and programmes which only bring suffering to their people. Those like countries such as Japan have not developed because of outside help as Wade is calling for in the case of Africa. 

The Table below is significant in demystify the seemingly American hegemony, which Wade wants us to believe. As human society is moving away from the mystifications of the superpower mentality, Wade is dead-stuck in it still. However, this is no-longer the world of the 20th century. Being the second largest continent on earth, with 11.7 million sq. miles, and with and estimated resource of 690 million human intellects, Africa is no longer a small brother to any nation or continent, as Wade is insinuating in the article. In short, knowledge and power have been demystified to the extent that Africa will claim its rightful place in world affairs.

From the Table one can see that in 1820 the Netherlands was rated as the richest country based on GDP per capita, with the US coming fifth. That is, The Netherlands at $1,821 was then 4.4 times better of than Africa, which was at $418, and rated the poorest – this was at a time when the transportation of the able-bodied Africans to develop other regions of the world – Slavery – have just ended in historical terms. China India and Japan were then the 2nd, 3rd and 4th poorest respectively. However, in 1973, Africa was leading both China and India and Switzerland was the richest in terms of GDP per capita, USA second and the Netherlands which was 1st in 1820 was in 6th position. Japan has climbed from the 4th poorest in 1820 to the 10th richest in 1973. By 1998, Africa was rated the poorest, America has moved from the 5th richest position in 1820 to the top position followed by Norway. Unlike 1820 the ratio of the richest to the poorest was 20. 









Ratio 1998 to 1820
Country
1820
1870
1913
1950
1973
1998
Austria
1,218
1,863
3,465
3,706
11,235
18,905
15.5
Belgium
1,319
2,697
4,220
5,462
12,170
19,442
14.7
Denmark
1,274
2,003
3,912
6,946
13,945
22,123
17.4
Finland
781
1,140
2,111
4,253
11,085
18,324
23.5
France
1,230
1,876
3,485
5,270
13,123
19,558
15.9
Germany
1,058
1,821
3,648
3,881
11,966
17,799
16.8
Italy
1,117
1,499
2,564
3,502
10,643
17,759
15.9
Netherlands
1,821
2,753
4,049
5,996
13,082
20,224
11.1
Norway
1,104
1,432
2,501
5,463
11,246
23,660
21.4
Sweden
1,198
1,664
3,096
6,738
13,493
18,685
15.6
Switzerland
1,280
2,202
4,266
9,064
18,204
21,367
16.7
United Kingdom
1,707
3,191
4,921
6,907
12,022
18,714
11
Portugal
963
997
1,244
2,069
7,343
12,929
13.4
Spain
1,063
1,376
2,255
2,397
8,739
14,227
13.4
United States
1,257
2,445
5,301
9,561
16,689
27,331
21.7
Mexico
759
674
1,732
2,365
4,845
6,655
8.8
Japan
669
737
1,387
1,926
11,439
20,413
30.5
China
600
530
552
439
839
3,117
5.2
India
533
533
673
619
853
1,746
3.3
Africa
418
444
585
852
1,365
1,368
3.3
World
667
867
1,510
2,114
4,104
5,709
8.6
Ratio of richest to poorest







4.4
7.2
8.9
20.6
21.7
20

Source: Maddison (2001), Table B-21, as in Steckel R: http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/steckel.standard.living.us 
In short, the policies of African governments in the 1960s and 1970s are very different from the current World Bank and IMF dictates. Presidents like Wade have indeed taken an overdose of these neo-imperialist policies to the extent that they are blinded as to the real policy requirements of Africa and are shamelessly calling on the US for help. For the US even if it had not had its hands full as a result of pursuing wrong policies and trying to make itself the gendarme of what it calls democracy, which is nothing but the preservation of US economic interests, it cannot develop Africa. 

Wade indicated in 2000 that he will serve only for one term. However the indications from Dakar are that he is interest in contesting in the next elections. The Senegalese should teach him a lesson as they did to Abdou Diouf. It’s a real shame that while the Presidents of other regions have unequivocally said no to outside policy infestations, are re-nationalizing hitherto privatized institutions and are making their voices heard in the geo-political arena on world affairs of tremendous importance, Presidents like Wade have made themselves subservient to the US and western interests in Africa and they continue to privatize our enterprises under the most bizarre private management systems ever known in history. 

Finally, Wade was one of the architects of NEPAD, what are the microscopic results and outputs of NEPAD since 2001? He is again constructing another structure, the Pan-African Non-Petroleum Producers Association (PANPP), which he said the intention is to serve as a green version of OPEC, whatever that is meant to mean. Wade has failed to see that the OMVG which has great potentials in providing power in the sub-region is not working properly, and thinks that the construction of ill conceived structures and calling on the US and oil companies not to leave Africa go in ruins is the right call, he is just engaged in emptiness and futility.

Abdoulie Jawo
Center for International Development
University of Bradford
United Kingdom



pasamba jow 
wrote: Africa Over A Barrel
By Abdoulaye Wade
Saturday, October 28, 2006; A15
DAKAR, Senegal -- Although gasoline prices have dropped recently in the United States, many Americans continue to worry about the toll of oil dependence at the gas pump and on the U.S. economy. As an African, I feel their pain -- and then some. While the price of a barrel of crude has recently dipped below $60, oil still costs twice as much as it did three years ago -- and experts fully expect the price to climb higher.
President Bush, a one-time oilman, has warned Americans about the danger of a country's being "addicted to oil." Yet the toll of oil dependence in the United States pales beside the pain that soaring oil prices cause in Africa.
In sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, the oil crisis is not a vexing "cost crunch"; it is an unfolding catastrophe that could set back efforts to reduce poverty and promote economic development for years.
In the United States, working men and women fretted when gas prices topped $3 a gallon this year. Here in the capital of Senegal, gasoline costs $5.62 a gallon. Unlike the United States, we are not a rich nation. Imagine having to pay such an exorbitant price to fill up your tank -- but in a country where per capita income is $849 a year. Senegal's electrical utility has been forced to turn off the lights throughout the nation for long periods every day, a crippling problem that could be eased if energy cost less.
The math is not hard to do. Everywhere in West Africa, governments are being forced to reallocate lifeline budget subsidies to counterbalance unprecedented oil and electricity prices. Senegal's direct oil subsidies to domestic consumers have increased fivefold since 2002. Niger's fuel costs have quadrupled. Even in Africa's oil-producing nations, windfall profits from oil have failed to reduce poverty. Per capita income in Nigeria is still $1,400 a year.
If the price of crude oil reaches $100 a barrel within the next year -- as some analysts predict -- a pan-African disaster will be upon us. Richer, oil-producing countries in Africa risk being inundated with mass migrations of people seeking survival.
By draining government treasuries, the soaring price of oil in West African nations has made it all but impossible to proceed with antipoverty efforts, and it is hindering work to increase access to public health services and to reduce the spread of AIDS. It is true that man does not live by bread alone. But being freed from the daily necessities of survival is a prerequisite to educating the workforce and building an economy.
The oil shock wave is undermining American aims on the continent, too. As oil prices go into orbit, America's efforts to promote liberal democratic economies and combat terrorism in Africa are sabotaged. I write this as the head of state of a tolerant, pro-Western -- and predominantly Muslim -- nation.
What can be done? Part of the solution must come from Africa itself. This past summer in Dakar, I convened the first meeting of energy ministers from 13 nations to form the Pan-African Non-Petroleum Producers Association (PANPP), with the intention that it serve as a green version of OPEC. The members of PANPP aspire to become leaders in the field of biofuels and alternative energy strategies, following in Brazil's footsteps. But the development of a biofuel industry, particularly cellulosic biofuels made from agricultural wastes and prairie grasses (which President Bush touted in his State of the Union address) could take a decade or more to come to fruition. Africa needs help today.
As a stopgap measure, I propose that our organization ask African oil-producing nations, as well as the international community and major oil companies, to chip in from recent windfall profits to reduce the increase in oil prices that has taken place since 2003.
If ever there were a time when major oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Total and BP could contribute to stabilizing West Africa by reducing the oil surcharge, it is today. As a champion of market economies, I can appreciate that companies do not easily part with profits. But the continued cost of the oil crisis in Africa could easily destabilize oil-producing nations and shrivel downstream markets for the oil companies elsewhere in the continent. It's in the interest not only of America but also the petroleum industry not to have an Africa in ruins.

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