Guest Editorial by P.J. Patterson
Greetings and Salutations,
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It was my supreme honour to welcome the first Caribbean Multinational Business Conference to Jamaica as the Prime Minister 28 years ago. By virtue of my continuous involvement in successive gatherings over the passing years, it is now my distinct pleasure and indeed my duty now as Patron to once again welcome you back home at your 28th Annual Conference, for no matter what – “Nuh place no better than yaad.”
This year, we have altered somewhat the opening format. I asked to move down the batting order, from opening batsman to Number 3. That allows me the luxury to speak and also preside over this Session as Statesman-In-Residence of the P. J. Patterson Institute for Africa-Caribbean Advocacy at the University of the West Indies.
My original intention was to include as Presenters and Panelists a number of African Leaders and Academics.
Regrettably but fortunately, this Conference coincides with the Reparations Conference in Accra, where the President of Ghana has convened an International Conference under the theme “Building a United Front to Advance the Cause of Justice and the Payment of Reparations to Africans.”
The creation of a United African agenda and programme to galvanize Africans and people of African descent to correct historical injustices of the slave trade, colonialism, apartheid and racism is cause for rejoicing. I do not regard the co-incidence of our timing as an unfortunate clash. I believe it is a welcome signal to beckon this Business Conference in making common cause, within the framework of Pan-Africanism, to provide a solid platform for action that enables successful advocacy to satisfy the ten delineated areas where we, the Descendants of the African enslaved are seeking Reparatory Justice.
Framing our discussion
My presentation today – “Africa, Caribbean, US – A Necessary Path To Development – A Strategic Alliance” is made within the broader framework of Reinvigorating and sustaining the Pan-African renaissance of optimism and great expectations in Africa, Caribbean and the United States to accelerate sustainable development. Virtually every topic I mention is identified for subsequent presentation in detail. So I will endeavour to set the broad context and the political environment in which our discussions are conducted.
I believe that we are truly at another pivotal point in our evolution as African people, when we need to take stock, engage in deep reflection, and reinfuse our efforts at achieving the African renaissance, and its promise of cultural, spiritual, socio-economic and political renewal, and ultimately, an inclusive and sustainable model of development.
Emancipation, independence and the Civil Rights Act were unquestionably all milestones of tremendous significance. Let us not lose sight that each was preceded by many years of steadfast struggle, determination, and an unwavering desire by our people to create social and economic conditions in which they could experience the values of freedom and dignity, and be optimistic about gaining steady improvements in their daily lives, as well as in their capacity to contribute respectively to the development of Africa, the Caribbean and the Diaspora.
Without exception, all of these events and other related milestones, prompted widespread public jubilation among the masses of oppressed people, and they are in fact still celebrated today. There has always been a perception, an expectation and determination that things can and could only get better.
Our people are, however, becoming increasingly impatient and restless: some even despondent, with the progress being made, and justifiably so! We see this in the current turmoil in Haiti, the recent coups in the Sahel region of West Africa, and in the desperate and perilous attempts by migrants in Africa and the Caribbean who drown or perish to escape poverty and despair at home.
Vibrant, impactful and sustained development has to be underscored and characterized by more extensive and meaningful Africa-Caribbean –United States cooperation; by determined and honest leadership, inclusivity, and the strategic deployment of technological and other enablers to catalyze and support its resilience.
A Strategic Alliance of Africa, Caribbean and the Diaspora is a necessary path to development
No one among us can deny that the possibilities and opportunities for shared action in tackling problems and achieving our common ambitions and aspirations are vast. The only question is how fast and efficiently can we execute whatever plans we formulate to meet the challenges and exploit the opportunities in today’s economic environment.
Any engagement between Africa, Caribbean and the United States must be based on a new or reconceptualized pragmatic framework, rooted in principles of respect and trust which reaffirm and underscore our common humanity and our equal sovereignity.
The existing geo-political engagement are iniquitous and unacceptable to countries of the Global South who have persistently sought the right to form alliances in the face of a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape. Our leaders must be resolute in believing that we are the ones who must make choices in the best interest of our people, and not on the dictates of the dominant global powers.
Let me now highlight a number of the great opportunities for us to work together to achieve the type of inclusive and sustainable socio-economic progress our people in Africa, Caribbean and the Diaspora have always desired.
Priority areas for cooperation within the Alliance
Both the challenges and the opportunities are many and profound. We have to be careful and strategic what issues we prioritize.
I propose that as our yard stick for prioritization, we focus on those areas which have the greatest potential to harness multi-dimensional partnerships to unlock the human potential of our societies; to grow our economies, and produce the greatest impact in terms of fundamentally transforming the lives of the majority of our peoples for the better.
Before we can proceed to Global Innovation and Driving Change, we have to deal with the essential factors for our lives and the survival of the human species.
1. Collaboration to tackle climate resilience and secure climate justice
Among the most critical and urgent priorities are building climate change resilience and securing climate justice. Almost every year countries in both regions have been severely impacted by :interconnected simultaneous disasters and their cascading and devastating impacts.” Climate related events – floods, landslides, fires, and hurricanes, have caused billions of dollars in damage to property and claimed countless lives. Insurance prices have soared and may soon become unavailable in areas prone to incessant disasters. The compounding impacts of these events have been disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable groups and individuals in society: our children and women; the disabled and the poor who are driven deeper into poverty and despair.
Between 1990 and 2020, only about 3.8% of research funding was spent on Africa, and less than 1% went to African learning institutions,” whereas around 79% was spent for Europe and North America.
Clearly, there is great necessity for Africa, the Caribbean and experts in the Diaspora, to seek greater collaboration and exchange of knowledge and skills through our universities, the designated climate change agencies.
Countries in Africa and the Caribbean have launched major initiatives and programmes to strengthen climate change resilience. They demand additional financial and technical resources, different engineering designs and architectural structures. Corporate businesses have to step forward as the destruction of global climate will also destroy their enterprise.
2. Achieving agricultural, food and water security.
“Water is life.” “Food is the staff of life.”
In both Africa and the Caribbean, the issues of persistent and worsening food and water insecurity, and the slow pace of transformation of food and water supply systems, have become urgent development concerns.
Food and water systems in both regions lack resilience and are therefore severely affected by shock events like Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, and climate change related events. “The number of people estimated to be facing moderate to severe levels of food insecurity in the English-speaking Caribbean has risen by an alarming 46 percent over the last six months. Nearly 4.1 million people or 57 percent of the population now face food insecurity.
Our academics, experts and investment banks must actively engage to increase Caribbean agricultural production quickly to 25% and accelerate to 700%. That would require a commensurate increase in expenditure on food production to 5% of our national GDP’s and greater access to finance by our lending institutions to expand agricultural production in the region.
I regard the commitment of Guyana under President Ali, who has lead responsibility for Agriculture in the CARICOM Quasi Cabinet, to spearhead the measures in reducing the regional food import bill by 25% by 2025, as one of the most encouraging signs in recent times for the Food and Nutrition Security Initiative. Finance, expertise and technology from the Diaspora can help to make it a reality.
3. Harnessing Africa-Caribbean and Diasporic higher education knowledge and expertise
To achieve growth and innovation in the era of the knowledge economy, we must harness and build on our vast intellectual tradition. We must foster cross fertilization in the areas of academic teaching and research in a range of disciplines.
Persons of African descent are involved in leading research in various disciplines in science and technology and innovation, in top-tier higher education institutions in the most developed countries. We need to mobilize and harness, in a coordinated way, the vast reserve of expertise resident throughout the African diaspora to secure the requisite outcome.
We need to mobilize and harness, in a coordinated way, the vast reserve of expertise resident throughout the African diaspora to secure the requisite outcome. .
4. Accelerating human resources development and employment, especially for youth
In both Africa and the Caribbean young people make up the largest and fastest growing demographic. The youth population in Africa is expected to reach over 830 million by 2050. While a number of developed countries have to confront aging populations and a reduction of their workforce, our population dynamics offer a real opportunity for us to reap significant dividends from our youthful population if the right policies are instituted to facilitate the development of this pool of human resources.
More and better targeted investments will need to be made to support quality education and training, bolstered by a culture of life-long learning. The African Development Bank and CARICOM have both framed initiatives that seek to unlock the potential of this youthful population and to place them at the centre of efforts to create inclusive societies and economies and fuel sustainable development.
5. Leveraging of national strengths and comparative advantages in Culture, and Sports
Both regions are strong in the areas of music and many of their artistes have become global superstars including the late Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Lucky Dube of South Africa. Today the global music industry is heavily influenced by a new crop of musicians and artistes from the Caribbean and Africa. These include Afrobeats stars like Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, Asake, Tems, Tiwa Savage from Nigeria, and Diamond Platnumz from Tanzania, as well as reggae and dancehall superstars.
Caribbean artistes based in the United States including Rihanna (Barbados) and Nicki Minaj (Trinidad and Tobago) have become global superstars.
There is great scope for public-private partnerships focusing on collaborative programmes which could help with the development and promotion of up-and-coming talented artistes in Africa and the Caribbean, and for support to be provided for more collaborations between artistes and actors from the three regions of the alliance, thereby expanding their market share in the global music industry.
6. Accelerating digital transformation and access to ICTs
Digital technologies and solutions have become indispensable to the socio-economic transformations globally, including deepening integration initiatives, and the empowerment of people to be productive and live more fulfilling lives.
We need the establishment of a joint electronic mass media platform to facilitate information flows, artistic programming, and exploiting the blue economy. This common agenda with respect to digital transformation will undoubtedly crease enormous possibilities for sharing technologies, knowledge and skills as well as innovations. Consider what further initiatives, policies, strategies and action ought to be developed to ensure that both regions are able to leverage their strengths in digital transformation for the mutual benefit of people in Africa and Caribbean and African Diaspora in the United States!
The economic, social, and cultural disaster that was the Transatlantic trade on Humans and the subsequent era of colonialism have left legacies of life-threatening disparities for black and coloured people across the globe. It will require mass worldwide mobilization to make meaningful generational change to end these centuries of abuse and barbarism. That cataclysmic change must incorporate and be led by the affected persons utilizing today’s leading edge technologies.
We insist that countries, institutions, private industries and families who owned our enslaved ancestors must make material restitution, sufficient to repay for the irreparable damage we have suffered . The Institute for Africa Caribbean Advocacy will make no compromise in our insistence to get all that is our due. We deserve it for our programmes of health, education, land distribution, shelter and technology for sustainable development. But at the same time, we will engage all persons who are genuinely persuaded, equipped and able, to help us build that bridge of unity which reconnects all Africans in oneness of purpose and action.
Conclusion
The rapid rise of the fourth and fifth industrial revolutions in computing and artificial intelligence offers a real chance for ending aged and existing disparaties and life-threatening conditions. The current lack of diversity in creating content and solutions using AI will only continue the current racism, and inadequate solutions for people of colour, such as the inadequacies of facial recognition and software Applications..
This is the overarching context in which I invite this impressive and influential Group to conceive inclusive projects and programmes which harness the collective intelligences. The will, skills and knowledge residing in Africa, the Caribbean and the rest of the Diaspora to ensure that a new iteration of the pan-African renaissance in Africa, the Caribbean, the United States, and the broader Diaspora reaches unprecedented levels of vibrancy, impact and sustainability.
As they are doing in Accra today, let this Golden Triangle of Countries and Communities resolve in Ocho Rios here today to cross that new horizon which beckons us further and beyond.
