All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC)

 Media Statement
by AACC President, Rev Dr Nyansako Ni-Nku
on

 THE REALITY OF POVERTY IN AFRICA
February 10, 2005

In this age of globalization, when information can travel across the globe in just a few seconds, when we can make one another aware of realities that we would not otherwise be aware of, the world has nonetheless been slow to acknowledge the reality of poverty in Africa. Poverty in Africa has contributed to the spread of preventable disease, the exploitation of women and children, the "brain drain" of many of our best thinkers and workers, violent conflict over scarce resources, and political instability.

1. It is important, however, that the world community not only acknowledges the reality of poverty in Africa, but nations and individuals should focus their energy and resources to do something about it. We therefore welcome the awakening of the world to the reality of the poverty that grips our continent. There are several important movements and initiatives that serve as important examples of how the world is waking up -and responding- to poverty in Africa:

  1. The United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, for example, which aim to cut poverty statistics in half by the year 2015
  2. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown have announced the UK's African Initiative on Global Poverty
  3. The Global Call for Action Against Poverty (GCAP), an initiative of international human rights organizations, religious organizations, aid agencies, and civil society organizations working cooperatively to advocate world leaders to combat the root causes of poverty.
  4. The "Make Poverty History" Campaign: a joint initiative between UK based aid agencies and GCAP.

These initiatives, among others, are some of the responses of the world to this crisis facing the people of Africa. We certainly welcome these initiatives. We need the advocacy of our partners from around the world, but we, the people of Africa, are our own best advocates. It is therefore important that we recognize the following things:

2.

  1. Both Africa and the Developed World are responsible for the Poverty of Africa. Corruption is rampant in the governmental and commercial structures of African countries. Money meant to build infrastructure and deliver services has lined the pockets of corrupt officials. There is a long history of developed nations propping up cruel and corrupt military regimes, and supporting corrupt leaders in Africa whose positions benefit the interests of developed nations. The developed world has also long seen Africa as a piece of property whose resources can be plundered, whose people can be exploited by low wages and whose creativity and entrepreneurial spirit are squashed by the dominance of multinationals. Africa is exploited by forces of its own making and forces outside itself. We therefore welcome the recognition of the developed world that the poverty of Africa is a responsibility we all share.
  2. We also question the language that insists that "This is the last chance for Africa." We must not see this moment in history as Africa's last chance "to get things right." Instead, we must see this moment as the beginning of a true partnership between Africa and the developed world-a partnership that sees that the alleviation of poverty is a process in which we all have a stake, requiring all of us to change for the better.
  3. We must also continue to lobby for the cancellation of debt owed by struggling nations to wealthy, developed nations. Debt repayments are not financial transactions that have no bearing on the citizens of a nation. When Nations are burdened by debt, it becomes almost impossible for them to provide the essential services needed to empower their people. The cancellation of debt is not a gimmick-it is a moral obligation which will allow the people of Africa the opportunity to reach their full potential.
  4. We must also continue to call for Just Trade and not simply be satisfied with what developed countries have named "Free Trade." It is not enough to have policies that liberalize markets, we need policies that liberate people. We need Just Trade that puts people before profits. If multinationals are to benefit from the labour of our people, then they must also invest in the communities where they locate themselves.
  5. Furthermore, aid to the countries of Africa must be and unconditional. In the past, aid has come with conditions set by people who have no understanding of the context in which the people of Africa operate, thus establishing expectations that cannot be met. The people of Africa should not be held prisoner by political wrangling, unfair financial conditions, or unrealistic conditions and protocol.

3. A Call to the Churches in Africa: We are here in the Chapel, a place of worship, because at the very core of our faith as Christians is the call to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are called, as the prophets were, to speak truth to power, and we are called, as the first disciples were, to make the love of God known in a hurting world. We therefore call on the Churches of Africa to make the fight against poverty a part of their sacred mission, a part of their proclamation of the Good News that God is with us, the people of Africa:

  1. We call on the Churches of Africa to critique the budgets and policies of their respective nations. We must lobby for policies that do not ignore the marginalized but instead make them the focus of the work of our nations. That is why we, as the AACC, are working to record success stories of grassroots initiatives to fight poverty.
  2. We call on the Churches of Africa to speak out against corruption in both the nations of Africa and in the nations of the developed world. We must not let the greed of a few rob the people of Africa of their basic needs and of the opportunity to thrive.
  3. We call on the Churches of Africa to work to enhance efforts to combat poverty, from international initiatives to work being done on the grassroots level.
  4. We call for people to prepare to make their voices heard by those who hold economic power. Prepare petitions and gather signatures; Present your case to the embassies of G-8 nations; be aware of important key dates in which decision makers from the G-8 and other financial and political institutions will be meeting: In particular, July 1st, for example, the day before the 2005 G-8 Summit, has been marked as a day of mobilization by G-CAP. 10-16 April 2005 has been set aside as Global Week of Action on trade. In September, the UN MDG Summit will be held. In April, Civil Society groups will organize actions around World Bank/IMF Spring meetings in April.

We urge all of the churches in Africa to take these issues to heart, consider how they can act, and make their voices heard.