President's new Africa policy
President Mahinda Rajpaksa should be saluted and appreciated for
pursuing a policy of extending economic co-operation to the continent of
Africa. This policy for which he deserves commendation and praise
reflects on the foresight of President Rajapaksa and has never been
pursued by any of any of his predecessors in previous governments. It
should be noted that President Yoweri Museveni is the first Ugandan
Leader to visit Sri Lanka in the last thirty five years.
Presently, Africa has been globally recognized as the most lucrative
and attractive investment destination as each corner of the continent
enters a new era of structured economic development leaving behind
memories of bad leadership and civil strife.
Uganda and Sri Lanka share a lot of common recent political
experience as both countries have successfully resolved civil wars and
conflicts in their Northern regions and embarked on a defined roadmap of
social and economic transformation.
Both President Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Yoweri Museveni have
restored peace in the countries under their leadership and charted
avenues of reconciliation and nation building.
Mr Kananathan the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka for Uganda who is a
close ally to both Ugandan and Sri Lankan governments indicated. It is
way back in the 2007 when President Mahinda Rajapaksa came to Uganda to
attend the Commonwealth Summit commended the vision and the leadership
of President Museveni and informed that he should be invited to Sri
Lanka to share the experience.
|
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
welcoming Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at the
Presidential Secretariat. First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa and
Ugandan First Lady Janet Kataha are also in the picture.
Picture by Sudath Silva |
He said, in Uganda where I have lived for almost the past three
decades, President Museveni has successfully championed the journey of
economic integration under the auspices of the East African Community.
He attributed that President Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Yoweri
Musevni has a lot in Common most importantly the Boldness of the
decision making for the interest of the people. President Museveni has
provided leadership and extended his government's resources towards
achieving peace in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. In this endeavour,
political conflicts were resolved in the region and a democracy
established.
Presently peace, political order and democratic government are being
restored in Somalia, the Horn of Africa, largely contributed to by a
peacekeeping military force from Uganda. Mr Kananathan said President
Museveni is one of the most respected leaders in the African Continent
and considered as a Peace Maker of the region and a Blue - Eyed boy of
the West.
Uganda itself, is rapidly undergoing social and economic
transformation under the visionary leadership of President Museveni.
Sri-Lankan investors are already well established in the Republic of
Uganda and have already made a firm impression especially in the
development of the energy sector.
The government should encourage the Sri Lankan business community to
take advantage of the favourable economic environment in Uganda to
invest in the energy sector and agro-processing industries, in
particular because Sri-Lanka enjoys a comparative advantage in these
areas.
Uganda has been attracting a lot of support from the European Union,
China, Japan and the U.S. Encouraged by these positive developments,
donor countries have become less reticent about attaching conditions to
aid and trade with Uganda, as a means of encouraging good governance and
democracy.
Uganda is now developing a strategy that will allow itself to convert
its gains into long-term economic stability and sustainable growth.
Sources said, Kananathan, a prominent businessman in Uganda was
instrumental in arranging this historic visit of the Ugandan Leader and
soliciting the support from Uganda to Sri Lanka in the past in the
international forum.
Rajapaksa's government should extend a hand of friendship and invites
to the leaders of other African countries which would benefit immensely
from an economic partnership with the government.
Why Africa is important to the rest of world?
Africa's post-colonial history has been a history of integration into
the European economy and its markets. If Africa matters to Europe, it
matters to the globalised world. Environmentally, Africa matters to the
world because it has the greatest capacity for maintaining equilibrium
in the biosphere and avoiding further depletion of the ozone layer.
Africa offers easy market access to Europe as well as to the U.S. and
China, and can in some cases extend extraordinary investment
opportunities with high rates of return.
Africa's historical links and its geography provide European
investors with a comparative advantage over North America and Asia,
including China. The political climate in the continent is gradually
changing towards democracy, respect for the rule of law and the
protection of human rights.
Africa has an abundance of natural resources. The continent ranks as
the world's No 1 in its reserves of bauxite, chromites, cobalt, diamonds
and gold. It is rich in palladium, phosphates, platinum group metals,
titanium minerals, vanadium and zircon. African production accounts for
80 percent of the world's platinum group metals, 55 percent of
chromites, 49 percent of palladium, 45 percent of vanadium and up to 55
percent of gold and diamonds.
Cooperation with China. The Chinese have signalled their readiness
for a dialogue with the African Union on matters of mutual interest.
Europe in particular should get involved in such a dialogue, putting
forward proposals for Chinese participation in European initiatives.
The African continent should be considered as having a great future,
economically and politically. Africa now has become a strategic
international force, pioneering coherent and inclusive development plans
for the world. |