Interview with Charlie Mballa

The challenge internally which has to be promoted by donors and developed countries is to ensure that returns go into infrastructure and jobs to benefit all the people. Charlie Mballa : Globalization and continentalization seem to have imposed integration as a path to development, how does this imperative of development fit into the Commonwealth's strategies vis-a-vis Africa? Donald Charles McKinnon: In any development strategy you have to deal with what's there not with what you want to have...

The challenge internally which has to be promoted by donors and developed countries is to ensure that returns go into infrastructure and jobs to benefit all the people. fact of life and any International Organization must take that into account as any strategy must be able to be reconfigured to respond to any changes taking place. That globalization has brought many benefits is without doubt, but you do have to look intimately at local communities in the developing world and ensure that any negatives can be ameliorated. Globalisation in a broad sense does not respect national borders and this fact alone may impose revenue losses on respective governments where traders are bypassing border and customs taxes. In such an event the strategies for development must recognize that fact and look for other revenue raising possibilities but ensuring that all people are benefited by lower cost goods. Whilst I can not speak for the Commonwealth with any authority today, I would see as a positive that Africa is joined up within rather than through the historical land and sea lanes constructed and imposed by the colonial powers. I would also say that within

CM
Francofone Africa similar values as to governance prevail and so there remains an overall environment to pursue best practices to the benefit of many. I have witnessed attempts by many including the late Muammar Gaddafi to be the "President of Africa" but such a role will not occur whilst there is divided opinion on such a role. African unity can best emerge from within, through the Regional Organisations and of course through the African Union (AU). For outsiders to build on the similarities and diminish the differences is the only fertile ground available.
CM : As far as international trade issues are concerned, how do you assess the role of the Commonwealth for Africa and its contribution to the African's leaders quest to speak with one voice in world diplomacy?
DCMcK : As per the above, policy implemented by force will never take root and be effectively owned by the people. My discussions with African leaders in the privacy of the Leaders Lounge at the AU meetings made more progress with the leaders when I highlighted deficiencies that should be rectified in whatever field. Underlining what others had achieved at low political cost, never megafoned, always paid dividends. During the first few years of the Doha Trade Round I set up programs to help sovereign states in Africa understand what was going on and how best to limit the downside due to the actions or agreements of larger economies. A major trade initiative between two large country groups could have very negative effects on small African economies and hence we could help prepare them for such a move. This was because I was fully aware the main decision makers in that round were the big players of which none were African. To that extent, even though that trade round failed, our support for the G20 ensued the AU voice was at the table.
Interview with Charlie Mballa

Donald Charles McKinnon
Commonwealth Secretary-General (2000-2008  DCMcK : Yes, I can imagine it happening but I would not be too optimistic. I have participated in similar events and it is with great reluctance that the genuinely large organizations really wish to work together and give up some of "their own sovereignty" in the process of agreeing to work together. Also one has to remember who the big donors are within those large organizations and are they prepared to forfeit some leverage for the greater good. DCMcK : It is a challenge that has been met in many parts of the world where that mosaic of languages and cultures is also found. Yes, it imposes enormous challenges but is not insurmountable. In fact it is surprising in the current world of instant communications how much the internet has penetrated some of the most isolated societies and so becoming the common denominator of many societies. I would repeat what I've said earlier that to capitalize on the similarities, look at what the younger people are mostly engaged in and highlighting the need for governments to ensure access to mass communications. In Papua New Guinea, which has upwards of 800 separate languages, the promotion of development through modern communication has not been prevented by those divisions which have lasted a 1000 years. Not easy but not impossible.
CM : Could you name any best practices of integration transferable in Africa in order to prevent the region from repeating some common mistakes in this process?