Report of the Workshop Towards the Economic Restoration of Sub-Saharan Africa
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Report of the Workshop Towards the Economic Restoration of Sub-Saharan Africa Introduction The following is a report of a workshop held in Amsterdam, in 1995, called "Towards the Economic Reconstruction of Sub-Saharan Africa". The objective of the exercise was to counteract the largely negative and desperate image of Africa that pervaded the media and the popular imagination. The invitees were project directors from numerous African countries that were leading projects that were succeeding. Success was judged on three criteria:
The discussion took place over three days and at most times was extremely lively and interesting. Most projects needed to justify their existence not only on the basis of increasing incomes, but also that it provided a return on investment expended. The most development oriented ones found that difficult, but even co-operatives saw their future in working in the market to provide a steady return for their members. Consideration was also given to the role of the financial system, the state and trade in the establishment and operations of projects. However, the examples reported all testified to the dedication of the African people to organise often scarce resources to change their lives and those around them for the better. From the small company in Tanzania selling flowers to the European market to the women in Ghana who build schools for their children, with the income from processing fish, cassave and vegetables, are all involved in the transformation of the continent that is not always visible. We hope the report will reflect this dedication and the discussion, the liveliness and interest of the workshop and always, the humour of the occasion. The report itself is divided into five sections for simplicity. The first section is devoted to community banking that is giving a leg up to countless individuals to establish enterprises and improve homes in Southern Africa. The second are a description of the operations of co-operatives that have to live in a new reality of market forces. The third is a description of women's projects that are changing sexual attitudes of the traditional kind and increasing the power of the women. The fourth section deals with two projects that are attempting to solve the unemployment problem in both the rural and urban areas in Africa. The final section looks at two diverse projects that are increasing food production in difficult rural terrains and that is empowering the poorest of the poor.The workshop was organised with the help of Novib, Hivos and Swissaid to whom we are grateful. Contents
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