La Stampa July 2009

As a religious leader in my country, the most populous in Africa, I have come to understand the strong relationship between social and economic welfare and the establishment of equality and fairness in relationships. I have seen peace eroded by insecurity, social injustice, economic inequality, political and religious radicalism. A hungry man they say is an angry man. So attention must be focused on building economic welfare that promotes economic and social justice and ensures peace.

It has been argued that Africa has in the last couple of years achieved some success in the fight against poverty. But with the recent world economic meltdown from which the continent is not immune, these successes seem set to be eroded unless some drastic measures are taken by African governments. In the case of my country, Nigeria, previous policies aimed at poverty alleviation seem to have had limited success due to poor implementation and limited partnerships. But there is a policy that holds the key to success in the fight against poverty and that is microfinance. Poverty is defined as the state of being poor i.e. the inability to earn income necessary to be able to afford the basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter.

Microfinance offers an incredible tool for helping the poor work their way to a life of sustainability, opportunity and ultimately economic self empowerment. Nigerian men and women are known throughout history to be industrious but the modern economy has made access to finance (no matter how little) extremely necessary for self reliance.

Self reliance is an important factor in the consideration of the relationship between poverty and peace. (more…)

Why do you have to hear it from an actor? I have a profound dislike of activism. I do not enjoy hearing dispatches from the crisis zone delivered by actors and rock stars. I get no joy from fund raising events, op-eds, posters, t-shirts, speeches, slogans, petitions and rock concerts. I’m tired of it. And I’m tired of the crisis.

If your profession somehow gives you a public voice, you quickly find that you have a new relationship with those who don’t have one. Your voice quickly becomes a cherished commodity. Not for its merits but for its sheer volume. You may have nothing to say, but those who do, the wise, the desperate and the better informed are all clamouring to make use of your easily earned media connection.

Imagine passing the scene of a car accident. Someone is dying. There is a doctor on the scene but he doesn’t have his equipment and he doesn’t have a phone. He asks if he can use your phone. Do you say “Sorry, not my job. Sorry I have no credibility …” or do you stop thinking and just do it? That is frequently the position of the guilt-ridden celebrity.

We are not in a position to choose whether or not we have a relationship with our own society or with world’s poorest people. We can choose the nature of those relationships, but, either way, they’re there. We’re business partners. If we choose to ignore them we are simply choosing to make that relationship a negligent and destructive one.

As voters and consumers we are directly complicit in the misery of the millions we do business with. If we let our governments and businesses think we are indifferent to their cynicism they will go on practicing it on license from us and every cup of coffee we drink and every piece of cotton we wear will continue to be an act of cruelty.

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They say once you go to Africa, you will always want to go back. I know they also say that about Paris and Berlin. I keep saying it about Rome and Naples. And of course I always go back there because Roma and Napoli are in my blood and eternally part of me.

Africa is not part of me and yet has always been a magic place, so far away, so different, so exciting. And frightening – I never thought I would ever have a chance to go to Africa. But I did go there and yes, it was a life changing experience for me.

The world promises to help Africa and Africa waits. Every day wasted can be the end of a life. Every hour is the final breath. Each moment more lights go out. The longer they wait, the more will perish. Poverty is not blameful. It does not make people bad or less important. It is cruel way of life. And yet poor people have given the world the greatest riches of art, culture, passion and leadership.

The life of one child could change the world. And to promise to help that child and not do anything is worse than refusing to help.

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One global crisis after the other reminds us just how “global” the world has become. We realise today that it is no longer just what happens in another part of the world which can have its effects where we live. We see today how the greed of individuals and the inefficiency of regulatory control can have direct effects on the stability of our banking or economic system or political system globally.

The global word needs rules; it needs trust; it needs stability. Few will disagree with that. We tend, however, to look on this as stability for us in the wealthier world. What about stability in Africa, for African countries, for African communities, for African families? On so many occasions world leaders have recognised that stability and growth in Africa depend on reforms, but that there is also need of focussed investment in human capacity and basic human infrastructures.

Promises have been made and promises have been consistently watered down or forgotten about. The investment of solidarity which will bring stability to Africa has been quantified and measured and set out in time-bound commitments such as the Millennium Development Goals. These are promises made to the poor; but it seems that promises made to the poor are of less moral weight than the promises made to “the system”.

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It has been another extraordinary year for me not to mention my many trips to Italy for both work and pleasure. Bella Italia! I am honoured to share with you a project, which I have recently been dedicated to, and something I am deeply passionate about.

A year ago I visited Downing Street in London to meet with Sarah Brown, the prime minister’s wife. At the meeting Sarah spoke at length about The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA), which she is a patron of, and their grassroots network which campaigns to stop women dying in childbirth around the world. That was the start of my work with the WRA right then and there. As Sarah spoke eloquently about her work with the charity, I was shocked at the extent of the problem, a problem I was completely unaware of at that point.

Millions of women are dying needlessly around the world. In the developing world a woman dies every minute giving birth, and almost always her baby will die too. In these places, women are often the breadwinners and leaders in the family. So, when a mother dies it affects not only her children but also her entire family, their livelihood and future.

There are solutions to this problem and they are immediately attainable. However, we must act quickly in support of this cause. By acting, we will help save half a million young women’s lives a year. It’s important for our global future; healthy families are vital to peace, stability and prosperity everywhere.

Last September I hosted with Sarah a catwalk show in aid of the WRA at London Fashion Week to raise funds and awareness of the cause. (more…)

Poverty and climate change are the two great challenges of the 21st century. Our responses to them will define our generation, and because they are linked to each other, if we fail on one, we will fail on the other. Unmitigated climate change poses huge risks for the planet. If we carry on emitting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, global average temperature could eventually rise by more than five centigrade degrees, to levels not seen on Earth for more than 30 million years.

However, we understand the scale of the action that is necessary to reduce emissions and the areas on which we must focus: greater energy efficiency, more low-carbon technologies, and a halt to deforestation.

We also know which policies and economic instruments will make these ambitions happen, and we can see a path for investment and economic growth that is attractive for all parts of the world. All we need now is the political will.

The United Nations conference on climate change, due to be held in Copenhagen in December, will be the most important international meeting since the Second World War. It must result in an agreement to halt and reverse the growth in annual global emissions, leading to a reduction of at least 50 per cent by 2050.

Developed countries should lead the way by cutting their annual emissions by at least 80 per cent. The people of developing countries are least responsible for the current levels of greenhouse gases, but they are the most numerous.

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For more than a decade, much of Africa has been moving forward. Economic growth is rising, poverty is falling and democratic governance is spreading. But the global financial crisis threatens to undo this progress by reducing investment, exports and aid just as they should be expanding to build on these successes.

While international attention has been understandably focused on events in Darfur, Somalia and Zimbabwe, countries across the continent including Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique and Liberia have been quietly turning around. Economic growth rates regularly exceed five percent in many nations.

The key to this progress is stronger African leadership and more accountable governance. Today, more than 20 African countries are democracies, up from just three in the 1980s. They have competitive elections and improved human rights, and a much freer media. These efforts have been supported by increasingly effective development assistance.

Consider what has happened in my country, Liberia. (more…)