REPORTING AFRICA IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT: THE AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE

By Prof. Lourenco do Rosario

Africa faces many Social, Economic and Political challenges.
Our economies remain fragile in the face of stiff competition from developed countries in the North and Far East.

Emerging economies in China, India and South East Asia are eying the continent as a large consumer market.This challenge will make industrial development in most of Africa an uphill task. Part of the problem has been lack of focus and economic strategies for self sustainability.

We won the independence struggle but forgot the economic battle.
We embraced aid from our colonial masters and developed a culture of dependency on foreigners for our survival.In developing our infrastructure and other engines of growth, we relied on foreigners.We encouraged foreign investment and conceded generous packs at the expense of domestic investor.We preferred to trade in foreign currencies at the expense of our own local currencies even among our own countries.
We therefore tied our economies to governments that have and will continue to have their own agenda.

Right now Africa imports everything from democracy to military hardware from the West.In this arrangement, our voice is muted at the UN, Climate Forum and at the World Trade negotiation tables.We are unable to compete on the World Trade Market because we do not manufacture farm machinery, fertilizer nor have we developed and patented genetically manufactured food species resistant to hostile natural elements.

Because of our poverty and weak economies, we cannot subsidize our farmers to be competitive on the World Market.Because of our inability to form strong and viable Economic Blocks, stronger blocks like the EU, the US, OPEC and China are able to dictate terms of international relations with us.That is why they even supervise our own democratic elections.

These are the issues that our Media should focus on!The African Media must help the continent redefine its relationship with the rest of the World.
That definition must start with getting the right institutions and leaderships in place.

If we ignore events in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Mozambique, Sao Tome and The Gambia, we will never define a better future for Africa as journalists.Let us report Africa for a better tomorrow.This is the essence of the APRM

Prof. Lourenco do Rosario
Chairman, MARP Mozambique