Globalisation 'exploits' Africa

2005-08-31 14:11

Addis Ababa - Globalisation exploits, denigrates and humiliates Africa in the same way slavery and colonialism once did, said Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa in a speech to the African Union on Wednesday.

Mkapa said world trade rules were based on racist beliefs that Africans were inferior. He also said African leaders were only paying lip service to the trade crisis.

He said: "The sad thing is that the greatest activists for the needs of our countries regarding matters such as aid, trade and debt are not African civil society, but civil society in rich countries.

"I urge African leaders to think afresh about the place of our continent in a rapidly globalising world."

Global trading regime

Mkapa, barred by his country's constitution from seeking another term, would step down after Tanzania's general election on October 30.

Mkapa said: "We suffered during the slave trade, and we suffered during the colonial period, which ushered us into a global trading regime, not as equal players, but as appendages of metropolitan powers.

"We have little flexibility to wrestle ourselves out of the grip of the multinationals that profit from our position of weakness."

He said the world's wealthiest countries made it difficult for Africans to succeed by charging high tariffs on agricultural products.

African products 'uncompetitive'

He said wealthy countries also gave their farmers more than $300bn in annual subsidies, making African products uncompetitive.

Trade rules meant that Africa faced massive tariffs if it tried to export processed goods, which placed African economies at the mercy of commodity prices and erratic weather.

As an example, Mkapa said the European Union imposed a tariff of 7.3 percent on unprocessed coffee.

Mkapa said but processed beans incurred a 30% tariff.

Mkapa was one of 17 people chosen by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to sit on his Commission for Africa.

Mkapa said Africa must look away from Europe and America and boost trade relations with Asia and Latin America.

- AP