The Africa Governance Institute (AGI) launched its programme of activities with an Inaugural Workshop on “Rethinking governance in Africa”, held on 3-4 November 2009 and a high-level seminar on ‘Current thinking on developmental governance in Africa’ on 10-12 March 2010. This success is to be congratulated at a time where it is imperative that Africans reappropriate for themselves the terms for their development.

1/. The multi-sectoral crises and fragilities currently shaking up the West African region and Africa in general, confirm this categorical imperative: increasing poverty, food insecurity, climate change, political instability, conflicts, documented violence towards citizens exercising their constitutional rights, exclusion from globalization, etc.

The impact of this situation is amplified by the fact that until now, governance models and strategies applied in Africa have mainly been imported, and are not very well adapted to and often out of step with the social reality of African societies. Fifty (50) years after their independence, most African countries (despite their considerable wealth) live this development as something set in the future and not as a feasible perspective.

2/. As part of its three-year programme of activities, AGI will try to respond to this challenge throughout 2010 by:

 Developing and promoting an innovative vision of governance;
 Analyzing, documenting and disseminating knowledge on governance through its website and electronic resource centre;
 Developing and strengthening capacity of individuals and African institutions (in particular, the African Union, APRM and Regional Economic Communities) in governance;
 Offering a framework for collaboration, coordination and networking of activities, institutes, centers and other stakeholders of governance in Africa.

AGI’s added value is that it will strive to combine the functions of a forum for exchange and source of information, as well as that of a mechanism for strengthening and rebuilding capacity for developmental governance in Africa.

The theme of developmental governance appeared as a uniting force for participants in last March’s seminar. Through this concept, Africa is seeking to ‘weave its own mat’ and is trying to ‘no longer sleep on other people’s mat’ (Ki Zerbo, 1993). In this sense, developmental governance emphasizes a shared approach, proactive and not simply reactive as in the previous sense of ‘good governance’.

3/. To contribute in taking up the challenges linked to promoting developmental governance in Africa, AGI’s strengths are: its continental positioning, which gives it the possibility of having an objective look at what constitutes the diversity of States and societies, as well as what Africans have in common, and the involvement of a wide diversity of stakeholders who act at all levels of governance on the continent. These strengths should enable it to correct the foibles of not very technocratic approaches, which still characterize discussion and prevailing approaches, thus linking them to the experience, expectations and aspirations of all protagonists involved in building modern African societies.

4/. Finally, for its own survival and in order to escape one of the many African paradoxes, AGI, once it has constructed an African agenda, should endeavor more than ever to mobilize African funding. Africa cannot continue to have its future financed and so inevitably its dreams by others and this, despite its strong desire and commitment to the continent. Governments, large companies and organizations and foundations involved in governance at continental level, often themselves victims of wars and social crises, or who think simply that bad governance is the sore that impedes managing state affairs, should contribute to finding solutions to what nowadays seem a failure of the continent. AGI for its survival should in the coming three years, strive to define and implement a strategy for mobilizing financial resources, especially within the continent itself.

Bamako, 19 may 2010

Ousmane Sy