INSIGHT: Africa needs effective leaders to realise its anticipated goals

As world leaders meet in New York to commit to new development goals, Africa is striving to untangle itself from the effects of war have stalled its economic development.

A new report packed with best practice climate policies from across the world was released on Wednesday by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), revealing a wealth of existing opportunities to immediately scale up reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while powering up ambition to keep the global average temperature rise below 2°C.

>It is a dreaded fact – millions of people in the world, notably from poor countries, lack access to electricity. But this trend can easily be reversed through concerted efforts to promote renewable energy. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) believes that if transition from the current unsustainable energy paradigm to a future powered by entirely renewable energy supply is given preference there is the possibility many people will access power.

>There is growing discontent with the International Criminal Court (ICC), especially from African leaders, which needs to be looked into critically.

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>Nearly 50 per cent of all Africans live in seven countries, Nigeria and Ethiopia leading. It is self-evident that if we are to make a dent on poverty on transformation in Africa what happens in those seven countries will be critical.

There is little doubt that Africa’s fortunes have improved considerably in recent years, although poverty, inequality and resource theft remain widespread. Leaders like Obama who have pledged to support Africa should openly fight the entrenched marginalisation of the continent at global decision-making fora.

>The mining sector, along with other natural resource sectors, remains critical to African development and has been an important contributor to the continent’s growth over the last decade. In fact, it would not be an understatement to say that Africa’s mineral resources defined its relationship with the rest of the world, for at least the last few centuries, and thus recurrent references to the scramble for Africa.