AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - “There is an urgent need for knowledge sharing and economic cooperation between Africa and the Diaspora,” says President of South Africa

Johannesburg (Agenzia Fides)- Sharing resources and experience to help Africa and the African Diaspora to growth together. This was the call launched by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa at when he addressed the African Diaspora Ministerial Conference held 16 to 18 November in Johannesburg. “"There is an urgent need for knowledge sharing and economic cooperation between Africa and the Diaspora” Mbeki told delegates from Africa, Latin America, North America, Great Britain, Europe and the Caribbean. Sharing knowledge in view of boosting development; for example in areas such as telecommunications, Mbeki explained
Mr Mbeki made mention of one of NEPAD's important projects, the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) (see Fides 30/10/2007), an optical fibre undersea cable to connect Durban, in South Africa, with Port Sudan, in Sudan.
“"There are indeed other projects in different sectors and I am confident that through these projects some of which are in collaboration with partners from the developed north, the vision of the African Renaissance will, in time, become a living reality," said the President” said the South African head of state. “"At the same, if we were able to work better together with the Africans in the Diaspora, utilising the skills and expertise that many of them have, many of these programmes and projects will be implemented faster and I am certain more efficiently”.
The Conference in Johannesburg is part of activities in preparation for a Summit of African Union heads of state and the African Diaspora to be held next Summer in South Africa.
The meeting was important because it comes 200 years since slavery was abolished in west Africa. The African Diaspora has been marked by a history of slavery, when millions of Africans were shipped to the new European colonies in America. Today, driven by unequal economic conditions, the modern Diaspora seeks a better life on other continents. Among them, professionally trained persons, intellectuals and businessmen: a brain drain which has weakened the continent. However this negative factor can become positive if these people and the descendants of Africans are involved in development programmes and in areas where people of African origin are predominant, such as the Caribbean for example. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 19/11/2007 righe 30 parole 385)