Madam, - Joseph Lake's response (May 24th) to my letter of May 22nd is very interesting. I agree completely that Africa can and must develop. But, as Mr Lake, acknowledges "Africa needs good governance to develop". Aid without good governance will not make poverty history.
As Mr Lake says, "Fifty years ago Asia and Africa had a similar standard of living. Asia has since grown exponentially while Africa has stood still and, in some cases, slipped backwards". We need to explore why this divergence has occurred. Has Asia received more aid than Africa or a more favourable trade regime with the rest of the world? I don't believe that is the case. Perhaps the answer is that more Asian than African governments have provided good governance and pursued effective development policies.
I believe that with good honest and selfless leadership of the calibre displayed by Nelson Mandela during his term of public office, African countries have more than enough natural resources, ingenuity and entrepreneurship to bring about the long awaited African renaissance. Certainly the rest of the world can and should assist well-governed countries in their development efforts through aid, inward investment and a fair trade regime.
This still leaves us with the issue of failed and failing states. I believe it is up to the United Nations to take a more interventionist approach in helping restore such states to good governance so that development is at least a possibility.
I hope to see the day when African countries are some of the most successful and best developed nations on Earth. But I believe that this will only happen when African leaders provide good honest governance on behalf of all of the people they have the privilege to serve. I believe this is the core challenge facing Africa, from which other initiatives must not divert attention.
- Yours, etc,
Dr L.F. LACEY, Skerries, Co Dublin.