MEDIA ADDRESS: SETTING THE SCENE FOR GRASSROOTS ENGAGEMENT IN AFRICA

SETTING THE SCENE FOR GRASSROOTS ENGAGEMENT IN AFRICA:
Establishing a partnership for grassroots participation in monitoring & advocacy.

A workshop organized by African Monitor and the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa.
Boksburg, 8 May 2008

MEDIA ADDRESS
By Archbishop Njongo Ndungane, President and Founder of African Monitor
        
Welcome to you members of the media. It is a great opportunity for us to have a conversation with you today.  We appreciate your coming here to have a talk with us. It is obvious that the media remains a powerful force in informing people as well as in being the voice of the people on issues that concern them.  You will therefore remain part of us and we hope that we can work towards becoming joint stakeholders in our work rather than just news gatherers.

Today marks the launch of a Grassroots Community Social Movement in Africa, which will monitor and advocate for effective delivery of development commitments in Africa.  This movement will be owned and driven by grassroots communities, so that in the end they are an integral part of decision making about delivery in the continent.

This follows a three day workshop of Faith Based Organisations and Civil Society Organisations that had been jointly convened by African Monitor and the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa. 

We came from all over the continent as representatives of faith communities, members from grassroots communities and members from civil society to deliberate on what more we can do to promote effective delivery at the grassroots.  We recognize that grassroots communities are neither engaged nor informed about development commitments and delivery on the continent. As a result delivery has been ineffective for the most part, failing to prioritise grassroots needs.  Both African governments and donors have failed to engage with grassroots communities and structures.  As a result there is lack of accountability about development commitments not met.

So then we asked ourselves, what can we do to change our destinies, and effect change in the lives of the poor?

We ask ourselves this question believing that the future of Africa is in the hands of Africans.  The solutions to Africa’s development challenges lie in the wisdom of those who face those challenges daily – that is the grassroots. 

We see the grassroots as those who are poor, marginalized and excluded, mostly located in rural areas, in the urban periphery or in urban slums.

So we as delegates present here, have decided to harness our energies for the common good to transform the status quo in which the poor have been rendered powerless, voiceless, marginalized and deprived of information and a say in development programmes that are meant for them.

We are committing to collectively:
• Create opportunities for grassroots communities and structures to participate in development implementation through dialogue.
• Conduct credible research on the delivery of commitments made by African governments and donors.
• Make such research and other information available to grassroots communities and structures, so that they can use it to hold their leaders accountable for delivery.
• Increase the capacity of grassroots communities and structures to monitor implementation, and advocate for improved delivery.
• Advocate for the prioritization of the needs of grassroots communities in delivery.
• Work with other partners within civil society (including academia, NGO’s and business) as well as government structures in order to increase our impact.
The ultimate objective of this initiative is to enable grassroots communities to monitor and determine the level at which their development needs should be met. It is also to empower these communities to be able to advocate for better results-oriented development.

As this partnership, we believe that when we act on the above objectives grassroots communities and structures will be able to:-
• Hold their leaders and decision makers accountable.
• Use available information for advocacy.
• Take advantage of existing resources promised to them by their governments and donors.
• Create complaint and advocacy channels for change.

Moreover, we believe that through this action, development interventions will be aligned with grassroots needs. 

The grassroots community members and faith communities present here have identified several grassroots priority needs. 
We have noted that for too long Africans have been subjected to adverse poverty.  The rising food crisis and climate change will further exacerbate poverty to crisis proportions.  One of the primary drivers of food insecurity and poverty in Africa is an inequitable global economic system, where trade unduly benefits developed countries at the expense of others.  Climate change is another contributing factor, which again is accelerated by developed nations through their careless disregard for the environment.  Furthermore, agricultural production is fast decreasing, and there is an increased tendency to produce for the export market instead of community consumption.  African governments have committed to support agricultural production in the continent by increasing their budget allocations to 10%.  However, for most countries this has not happened.

We have also noted that the continuing health challenges facing the continent are unduly hampering progress.  Limited access to health systems, lack of information about health solutions and unaffordable medicines are just some of the challenges we are facing.  African governments committed in 2001 to increase their allocations for health to 15% of the budget. Believing that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation, we will work hard to ensure that such commitments are met.

Grassroots communities face many more challenges, including gender inequality; resource unavailability and lack of access to education and information.  We will work hard to advocate for these challenges to be addressed through proper engagement with the grassroots.

This partnership is made up of faith communities from all religions in the continent, civil society organizations, and grassroots communities.  We have realized that with the wide contacts base, potential and power that faith communities have in Africa, they have the ability to reach grassroots communities far more effectively for this purpose.

We also recognize that as this partnership we cannot undertake alone the mammoth task of ensuring that there is effective development that can transform the quality of life for the poor. We have therefore agreed that we need a joint effort with other stakeholders such as the governments, civil society, business and the Diaspora to use one another’s comparative advantage in a complementary way through a broader partnership.

Some of the agreed principles of this partnership are learning from one another’s experiences, amplifying grassroots voices, enhanced participation, grassroots empowerment and advocacy, monitoring successes and failures as well as demystifying development.  We also want to ensure that we do not duplicate different initiative already implemented, but rather capitalize on their experiences and work together for a common purpose.

Let me assure you that from the deliberations and the commitment made by all of us here it is clear that this is not just a talk show and neither is it just a gathering that will only exist in the books of history. We have resolved to implement specific, measurable, attainable and time bound objectives to address the need we have identified.

I therefore urge you to use your power and position in society as the media to hold us accountable to our words and principles that we have committed to adhere to today. I also ask that you work with us to raise awareness about this initiative, and of the mandate that we have set for ourselves for the sake of our grassroots communities.

A media pack has been prepared for all of you which includes information about IFAPA and African Monitor – the two organizers of this workshop.  Also, you will find in this pack a statement of principles on the bases of which we will work, as well as a statement of principles for Africa’s development. 

We have just finished agreeing on a concrete joint action plan, as well as an advocacy plan that will be coordinated by African Monitor.  This will be availed to you as well in due course.

Thank you for your time.

About the Organizers:

The two organizations were coincidentally launched in 2006 after a lengthy period of consultations with various partners. African Monitor was launched in May in Cape Town and IFAPA in July in Kigali.

African Monitor was launched as a catalyst to promote the delivery of development promises and commitments by African governments and donors. IFAPA’s vision was to bring together leaders from around the continent representing the various religions to work together to address some of the governance, and political challenges faced by the continent and particularly to promote peace.

At the core of both organizations is a deep concern for the well-being of the poor in Africa -  the grassroots communities.

Both organizations work in continued partnership with each other to promote progress in Africa.