"It is a profound shame that since independence so many African
leaders, once elected, come to believe that only they can be trusted to
run their country," said Annan.
"The result all too quickly becomes government for the benefit of the
ruling elite rather than society as a whole," he said in an address to
a Nigerian research institute, the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation.
Annan said Africa needed political leaders "who recognise that democracy means they that can be voted out as well as into power.
"I don’t see why any African at 84, at 85, can still feel that they are
the only ones who can run their country and won’t hand over to younger
men.
"Look at Obama, he is 47, in many African countries they would probably
consider him too young," Annan said, referring to the new US President
Barack Obama.
If Mugabe, who at 85 is the oldest African president, was to be
replaced by a younger person, "his attitude would be different," Annan
said.
"We must find ways to attract much larger numbers of talented young men
and women into politics…there are men and women of their time, they
know how the world works.
Good leadership and governance as well as tough anti-corruption
practices, would ensure a country’s natural resources are used to
improve society, he said.
"For too many countries in Africa, natural resources have not been a
boon but a curse. We must (have) greater transparency in the revenue
which governments receive from the extraction of natural resources and
how the money is spent," said Annan.
Yahoo/Agence France Presse (AFP)
Post published in: News