Commission for Africa

A Commission set up by Tony Blair in the run up to the 2005 G8 summit at Gleneagles.

David Miller writes^[1]:

On the launch of the Commission for Africa Report, the centrepiece of the government’s policy for the G8, the BBC listed eight findings requiring action by the West. They included doubling or trebling aid, forgiving debt, spend more on HIV/AIDS, fund African universities, remove trade barriers to African exports in the West. [12] Not much there to disagree with. But, in the report itself, a different picture emerges. Journalists need only read the summaries of the various chapters to get a clue about the real agenda. For example goals for economic growth in Africa are said in Chapter 7 to be possible 'only if the obstacles of… a discouraging investment climate are overcome'. This involves 'public and private sector working together to identify the obstacles to a favourable investment climate'.[13] What this means is more liberalisation and privatisation and more opportunities for western corporations to exploit African resources and labour. 'Investments in infrastructure and the enabling climate for the private sector are at the top of the agenda' says the summary of the next chapter.[14] These passages are available for all to see but are commonly suppressed in the mainstream media (including the allegedly left leaning papers the Guardian [15] and the Independent[16]). They provide a clue to the real agenda of the government, which is to spearhead neoliberal reform in Africa.

Also closely involved with the work of the Commission for Africa is Business Action for Africa (BAA) a coalition of over 250 senior business representatives. BAA met with the Commission for Africa prior to finalising their report in February 2005. This followed a 'programme of formal consultations between the CFA and the private sector in Africa, Europe and North America'.[17] This was accomplished through the 'Business contact group' established in July 2004 at a meeting chaired by Niall Fitzgerald of Reuters and Gordon Brown. Its programme was managed by the 'private sector Advisor' to the Commission for Africa, an employee of Shell, and input in the US and Canada was ensured through business lobby groups the Corporate Council on Africa and the Canadian Council on Africa, both representing trans-national capital.[18]

The corporations involved can barely contain their excitement. The 'outlook' of the business community is a 'positive one' says one of the CFA commissioners. 'It believes Africa is the next frontier for investment'. James Smith, the UK chair of Shell, which co-hosted the meeting noted that progress 'requires that the private sector has a bigger role'.[19] The chair of the Commonwealth Business Council, the business lobby group co-hosting the meeting, read out the concluding statement. Dr Mohan Kaul affirmed that 'getting the conditions right for doing business in Africa is the biggest single investment for the future well-being of its citizens'. A 'vibrant and successful private sector… is required' he noted.[20]

Amongst their duties in this adventure corporations 'should' sign 'leading codes of good social and environmental conduct'. The one apparent crumb of comfort is that 'Corporate governance principles should clearly identify and punish malpractice'. But this is a mirage as there is no requirement to sign and the codes noted (such as the UN global compact and the Global Reporting Initiative) are all voluntary and do not have any provisions or appetite for 'punishing' corporate wrongdoing.[21] This is their unifying and defining characteristic. Unsurprisingly, therefore we find that the corporations sponsoring the BAA conference are amongst the worst currently engaged in the exploitation of Africa including Shell (oil), Anglo American (mining), Rio Tinto (mining), De Beers (diamonds), Diageo, SAB Miller (both Drinks industry, use vast quantities of water), GSK (pharmaceuticals), British American Tobacco, and Unilever, (food and consumer products). Also involved are the providers of capital who profiteer from exploitation such as Standard Chartered bank and the venture capital fund Capital for Development.[22]

References

1. ^ David Miller, The Brown Deception: Notes on the new Foreign Office minister Mark Malloch Brown and his new boss, Gordon Brown, Spinwatch, 1 July 2007
2. ^ BBC Online 'Africa Report at a glance' 11 March 2005, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4337239.stm
3. ^ Summary Chapter 7, Commission for Africa Report. http://www.commissionforafrica.org/english/report/chapter7.html
4. ^ Summary Chapter 8, Commission for Africa Report. http://www.commissionforafrica.org/english/report/chapter8.html
5. ^ The Guardian's main report was subtitled 'on a report aiming to put an ailing continent on the road to recovery' hardly a balanced perspective. Ashley Seager and Charlotte Moore, the greatest tragedy of our time: how the world can help and why it must do so now' the guardian, 11 March 2005. http://www.guardian.co.uk/hearafrica05/story/0,15756,1435198,00.html
6. ^ The Independent's leader described the report as a 'call to action - it must not go unheeded', again not much of a critique there. The Independent, 11 March 2005. The Independent journalist Paul Vallely was seconded to the Commission for Africa for six months and was the principal author of the report. His account of the process gives no sign that he understands the role of capital, or neoliberalism in Africa. Paul Vallely ‘Africa Commission had to work out what was wrong and how to fix it’ The Independent, 11 March 2005 http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=618858
7. ^ Commission for Africa, 'Commission for Africa meets global business leaders', 23 February 2004, cfapn07/05 http://www.commissionforafrica.org/english/about/pressroom/pressreleases/2005/23-02-05_pr_global_business_meeting.pdf
8. ^ Business Action for Africa, Statement Issued by Business contact Group on Commission for Africa Report, 11 March 2005, http://www.cbcglobelink.org/cbcglobelink/events/baa05/Background.htm
9. ^ Commission for Africa, 'Commission for Africa meets global business leaders', 23 February 2004, cfapn07/05 http://www.commissionforafrica.org/english/about/pressroom/pressreleases/2005/23-02-05_pr_global_business_meeting.pdf
10. ^ Commission for Africa, Business Action for Africa Conference, Concluding Statement, Delivered by Dr Mohan Kaul, CEO, Commmonwealth Business council, 5 April 2005. http://www.commissionforafrica.org/english/about/documents/05-04-05_ev_business_concluding_statement.pdf
11. ^ Concluding Statement, as above
12. ^ Concluding Statement, as above