G Fraser-Moleketi: Pan African Ministers of Public and Civil Service
meeting

26 February 2007

Allow me to start with a poem from a little known South African poet [1]
entitled "How do I know that I'm African?"

"Is it the colour of skin?
Is it the language that I speak?
Or is it the beliefs of my ancestors?

I know this

The first breath I took,
was of African air.
The first word I spoke,
Africa heard.
The first step I took,
was on African soil.
Every time my heart beats,
it beats for Africa.

I am African!"

These words points to the essence of what defines us as people of
Africa:

Our sense of united pride; belonging to Mother Africa; and a deep desire to
acknowledge our heritage and allegiance.

Some of these desires have been forged through a history in which many
attempts were made to physically and psychologically separate us from Africa
and the values and customs she imbues; a history where many of Africa's
children experienced humiliation and subjugation. We see our true African-ness
expressed through history, literature, art, music, film, clothing, food and
leadership. We know that sharing and celebrating our African-ness extends
beyond borders and human limits. We know that being African extends beyond any
tribal history and location constraints, but rather hinges on a new kind of
patriotism, not only for our respective African countries, but rather the
continent as a whole and our rich heritage.

It is this ideal of a new kind of patriotism that calls upon all Africans to
stand together to build an African powerhouse across all divides. An Africa
that once again will take her place as the centre of civilisation and
development in the global set-up, but, Africa is at a crucial turning point.
One which gives hope and meaning to millions of people, but which also shines
as a glaring reminder of Africa's poverty ridden and conflict scorched
landscape.

In his last speech to the African Union, the former Secretary-General of the
United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan reminded us of this dichotomy. He registered the
following achievements we have registered during the more recent past:

* Compared to a decade ago, the number of violent conflicts has dropped
dramatically. Africans are increasingly taking ownership of the peace and
security agenda.
* Today the majority of African States, more than ever before have
democratically elected governments. World Bank data shows that by 2002,
Sub-Saharan Africa had a higher percentage of countries with governments
elected through multi-party elections than was the average for other developing
regions of the world.
* In Sub-Saharan countries, the share of women in single or lower houses of
parliament is higher than in the developing countries of southern or western
Asia.
* Throughout Africa, voter turnout continues to rise.

In January this year, Abdoulie Janneh, United Nations (UN) Under
Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for
Africa's (ECA), in his statement to the opening of the Executive Council of the
African Union (AU) reported that African economies continue to sustain the
growth momentum, which has built up in recent years. In 2006, overall real
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate accelerated from 5,2 percent recorded
in 2005 to 5,7 percent. He recorded an expected growth rate in 2007 around 5,8
percent.

UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon speaking during the AU Summit earlier
this month highlighted the remarkable progress many of our African countries
have made towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Many of our
low-income countries have lifted sizeable proportions of their citizens above
the poverty line. Several are on course to meet the target of halving poverty
by 2015. Around 15 African countries have already achieved universal primary
education, or are on track to do so. And most Southern African countries are on
course to attain gender parity at the primary school level.

However, evidence shows that overall Africa is unlikely to meet the
Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Poverty and marginalisation of Africa continue to stand in stark contrast to
the prosperity of the developed world and within the continent, and especially
my own country, we are noticing growing gaps between rich and poor, a trend
often hidden by the aggregate economic growth statistics we tend to use.

With respect to Africa South of the Sahara 44% of our African population
still live on less than a US$1 per day. The mortality rate of children under
five years of age is 168 per 1 000. Thirty one percent of our people are still
living with insufficient food, and 36% of our children are still not privy to
primary education. These figures reveal adversity which can be met only when
long term economic and political stability is supported by a strong, capable
and effective public service cadre.

Unless we work out how to replicate our successes very fast, or new and
vigorous approaches are adopted, we will simply not make it. We have examples
of thinking, though, that show the liberating force of "thinking out of the
box."

One of these radical shifts in thinking regarding poverty that is taking the
world by storm is the work by the eminent Indian academic, Professor C K
Prahalad. He begins his book, 'The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid' with a
simple yet revolutionary proposition: If we stop thinking of the poor as
victims or as a burden and start recognising them as resilient and creative
entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity
will open up. Prahalad suggests that four billion poor people can be the engine
of the next round of global trade and prosperity, and can be a source of
innovation, hence in South Africa, as well, the focus on the second
economy.

More than 10 years ago when President Mbeki in his "I am an African" speech
outlined the elements that would eventually be seen to comprise the African
Renaissance it was also a radical mind-shift from how we on the African
continent have become used to see ourselves and have accepted the manner in
which others have engaged with us. The African Renaissance was to be built on
the principles of:

* social cohesion
* democracy
* economic reconstruction and growth
* establishing Africa as a significant player in geo-political affairs
* African ownership of our initiatives and accepting responsibility for our own
destiny.

The African Renaissance became recognised as the "third moment" or "third
wave" in post colonial Africa, following decolonisation and the wave of
democratisation across the continent we witnessed during the early 1990s. But
in order for our Renaissance to be a meaningful part of our future we must
ensure that its primary elements do not become simply symbols for rhetoric and
political point scoring. We must ensure that effective institutional measures
are implemented and continually renewed as practical short, medium and long
term programmes create the pathway to Africa's reconstruction.

One of the most important milestones to emerge as part of our African
Renaissance is the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). This was
embraced by our African leaders. NEPAD defines in simple terms our challenge.
If implemented the NEPAD initiatives can be the nucleus of our extrication from
poverty, social underdevelopment, conflict and economic failing. NEPAD is about
consolidating and accelerating the progress we have made across Africa.

NEPAD's founding framework defines Africa's place in the global community by
the fact that "the continent is an indispensable resource base that has served
all humanity for so many centuries." As globalisation, technology advancement
and the creation of a single world economy takes shape, the means and context
for Africa's rejuvenation is clear. But this rejuvenation must be forged along
the lines of the sectoral priorities as set out in NEPAD's founding framework
in order to ensure the sustainable reconstruction of Africa and our ultimate
Renaissance.

In terms of the NEPAD initiative the leaders of Africa pledged to work
individually and collectively to enshrine in the fabric of African society
peace and security, democracy, good governance, human rights and sound economic
management; a testimony to this was the elections in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) in the recent past. As a conference of Ministers for Public and
Civil Service we wish our congratulations to be conveyed to the DRC.

We see today that Africa still faces many challenges in this regard and
unless there is long term stability around the principles of peace and
security, achieving successful reconstruction and Renaissance of Africa will be
limited.

Members of this meeting of Ministers of Public and Civil Services,

The nexus between our ability to render public services effectively and
maintaining competent administrative machinery has become widely accepted. The
document UN Millennium Project: A practical plan to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals, for example, lifts public administration as one of three
areas that hold the key to us overcoming the poverty trap Africa finds herself
in.

The other being infrastructure and human capital; we also know that these
are to a large degree dependent on public administration capacity, especially
in countries where government is a key player in the direct provision of social
services and other development initiatives.

Public servants are at the heart of Africa's Renaissance. We hold the key to
our own development. In order to unlock Africa's rich potential our
partnerships must be based on mutual interests, shared commitments and binding
agreements. Access to the opportunities before our people is dependent on how
we shape the agenda of our public service, on how we bolster the implementation
mechanisms and remove blockages, much age old, in the public sector
architecture.

Africa's development agenda is defined by a critical need to ensure that
sound labour market reform, skills upliftment, increased intra regional trade,
and improved standards of social management take place. Once, again, we see
from this that our role as public servants is to be the gateway through which
this development, change and Renaissance of Africa can take place. We must put
in place all of the levers for our change and take responsibility for our
roles, not only as the architects but also the actual builders of the pillars
of change for our societies we serve. To mention but a few, we must ensure.

* accountability to and partnership with the communities and people who rely
so heavily on the work we do
* creation and adoption of programmes that create sustainable, positive
change
* eradication of corruption which robs our countries and people from resources
that should have been used for broad based development
* creation of effective development and learning initiatives for our public
service colleagues
* removal of the structural impediments, such as unfavourable terms of trade in
certain countries and regions
* forging of strong public private partnerships to drive increased investment,
support and partnership.

It was good to note that many of these issues were incorporated in the
report on the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance which was
adopted by the AU Assembly earlier this month. As with so many of the other
issues, it is now for the member state governments to ratify and implement the
content of the Charter. We need to also ensure that the African Peer Review
Mechanism (APRM) process adequately takes this report on board as dimensions to
be monitored.

With a view to the strategic priorities and programme we as Ministers for
Public and Civil Service under the African Union are pursuing, Vice President
and Deputy Prime Minister part of this collective, I again looked at
initiatives across the key institutions, and I have to come to the conclusion
that there is significant alignment on the strategic level. Even some of the
international multilateral partners, notably the UNECA and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), are trying to fit into the formulated Programmes
of Action, declarations and other statements of priority.

We could therefore safely assume that the problems we are experiencing with
regard to the programmes as they are publicly formulated and supported is not
necessarily on the so-called "policy level". The Ministers' agenda that
continue to focus on issues of effective and ethical governance and large-scale
capacity building, both for institutionally as well as individuals, as well as
our particular foci on the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and
post-conflict countries is perfectly in line with the issues underpinning the
larger Africa Renaissance Agenda.

However, what we need to improve on is our alignment of processes our
efforts do not necessarily carry through in other processes that take place
between and within key players. In other words, we are doing the right things,
but the impact thereof are limited, since the loops into certain processes are
not adequately closed and connections not made in a proactive manner.

This was similarly the case with the abovementioned Report on the African
Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. This report in its draft stages
was never placed on the agenda of this Meeting/ Conference. This was most
probably our own oversight. We need to ensure that we get involved in order to
enthuse processes at the national level that will institutionalise the content
of this Charter.

One of the processes that are supposed to help with problems like this is
the issue of getting Specialised Technical Committee status for the Ministers
of Public Service.

Notwithstanding Africa's achievements I have referred to, and
notwithstanding the high degree of agreement on the overall goals we are
striving for, I think it is necessary in all honesty to come to the conclusion
that we can do better; much better! We need to do so in the interest of our
people who are still excluded from benefiting from this resource rich continent
on which they find themselves.

We only need to turn to a number of statements that have recently been made
to different AU and NEPAD organs to realise that a massive change programme is
necessary within and between many of our key African institutions, because all
is not so well. In 2006 in Banjul, African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson,
Professor. Alpha Konare alerted that, and I quote.

"Unless this transformation [referring to the AU and AUC] is realised, our
organisation will continue to resist change and will remain a body incapable of
taking timely action, incapable of telling its members the truth or just simply
telling the truth and taking real and effective action on African
realities."

While opening the 16th Summit of NEPAD Heads of State and Government,
President Obassanjo reprimanded that, and I quote.

"While we wish and strive for change, we have not invested the necessary
will to carry our effort to fruition."

I would argue that the challenges we experience at the continent wide level
as far as implementation goes, is not dissimilar from those we repeatedly
identify at the country level, and the same can be said for the regional level.
These include:

1. The inability and unwillingness of organisations and individuals to work
together in a co-ordinated and integrated manner towards a shared agenda.
2. A tendency with administrations be they commissions, secretariats, or
managers and administrators to see their political heads as an obstacle, a
spoke in the wheel, adding little or no value, which can be disregarded at the
behest of the very professional, knowledgeable and experienced
functionary.
3. Too little capacity and capability all around, and where capacity and
competence does exist, we overload such capacity to a level where even that is
being eroded and destroyed; we need to review capacity, both at country,
regional and Africa wide level.
4. We do not deal adequately with non-performance; we skirt around it; create
new structures or bend every principle in the book of good organisational
design to work around problems.
5. We take many decisions at the macro-level but these are taken forward
half-heartedly lower down the implementation hierarchy. Note for example our
poor record with ratification of decisions at the country level; equally so we
start initiatives and then do not see them through to implementation.
6. We do not assess the resource needs of programmes adequately and
consequently try to do more with what a limited resource pool allows for.
7. We allow individuals to personalise fundamental organisational
processes.
8. The shortage of dispersed and wide-scale visionary and inspired leadership,
across all institutions and at all levels.

We need to look dispassionately in this meeting at areas that need
improvement.

We carry the responsibility collectively for public administration and the
status of it on the continent. We are a key resource to be tapped and who can
validly give advice as far as it pertains to the administration of the African
institutions our leaders have put in place on this continent in order to
realise our dream of an African Renaissance.

In concluding this initial opening statement, I want to turn to the anthem
of the African Union as was written by the Ethiopian poet laureate, Tsegaye
Gabre-Medhin. The anthem urges us to unite to give the best we have to Africa
and encourages us to make Africa the Tree of Life. We should make this
recommitment today, as our colleagues in Mozambique are battling natural
disaster. They are a symbol of how better administrative machineries are
capable to deal with such disasters more effectively.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Public Service and Administration
26 February 2007