Africa needs to have a meeting

__________________

OPINION

By Simon Kaheru

World news over the last couple of weeks has focused on the United States’ proposed aid package to the Ukraine, valued at $61b.

This aid is mostly for military equipment to aid the Ukrainians in their war against Russia.

The news has reached Africa, of course, but as usual we have not yet had a meeting to discuss it.

This might be because we are yet to find the funding for this meeting — I don’t know.

What I do know is that the Keynote Speaker has an easy task getting the meeting agenda going, by simply focusing on a couple of points. One research paper on the internet confidently told me that the United States gives Africa $8b annually in non-humanitarian aid.

First, if the Ukraine with its population of 38 million people is receiving $61b this time round (emphasis on those three words), why do many official reports claim that the entire continent of Africa — 1.2 billion people receives $8b annually?

The Keynote Speaker could even pause for dramatic effect at this point, to allow people to whip out their calculators and work out the maths.

So, each Ukrainian is receiving $1,605 while each African receives $6.6? (Insert another pause for more drama).

It is just aid, someone will say in response, so you can’t complain; see, you are all beggars, so just allow what you are given and be grateful that it is less than zero.

Good point there, clever friend.

The thing is, this “just Aid” is also an indicator of the priorities that determine foreign policy and is exactly the reason why the Keynote Address should make it the first point of focus during the meeting of all Africans.

On the surface, there is nothing wrong with the United States or anybody else giving the Ukraine more than they give the whole of Africa.

Even in our WhatsApp groups we do those things of collecting mabugo and contributing to weddings where we give different people different amounts.

Sometimes it is because that is what we have to spare but let us be honest — in most cases it is about the connections; the importance we assign to the relationships we have with some people.

Even in our families we will do this. It only gets awkward when people see it out in the open and we lack the confidence to underscore our reasons.

Clearly, the United States has no issue here; the entire western world never has had any and there is no pretending.

I checked how deep the trade relationship between the US and the Ukraine is and found the usual statistics outlining hundreds of millions of dollars in goods going between the two countries.

Even at the height of the war, the United States still traded about $1.5b with the Ukraine — both ways.

Google for the trade figures telling you about the United States and Africa and you will have to dig really deep and wade through lots of conversation and prose about AGOA and other such relationships.

There are no hard numbers on page one as you will get with the Ukraine query. And If you never thought to yourself the phrase, “Be serious!”, please do so right now.

And this is where our Keynote Speaker will also spend time: The world is a very imbalanced and unfair place, and the sooner we realise this the better our strategy will be for taking our proper position in it. Right from the day the war broke out between Russia and the Ukraine, Africa should have been clear that the continent was going to be moved further down the list of priorities for the rest of the world.

But why should we be a priority? What are we doing to make ourselves a priority?

Our Keynote Speaker needs to dig in the heels and wind up at this point to drum it home.

This Continent should look up and make itself important — first of all by putting our numbers in people and wealth together to negotiate more seriously as a major unit.

Then by growing our wealth more sensibly by using these resources we keep talking about in an educated manner.

This war between Russia and the Ukraine has been going on for a couple of years now but still, the Internet says, “Ukraine was expected to produce 22.5 million metric tonnes of wheat in the marketing year 2023/2024. That would mark an increase by 4.6% compared to the previous year.”

Even in the middle of war, they are increasing production while, according to FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation) reports Africa as a whole is waiting to import their production.

And you know what the most stupid part of this is? Some Africans might even use the $8b aid from the United States to pay the Ukraine for this wheat.

www.skaheru.com @skaheru