Open letter to Carlos Lopes
Dear Dr. Carlos Lopes, You have just signed off and stepped down from the position that you occupied for four years as UN Under-Secretary and Executive Secretary of one of the very significant institutions in Africa, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
I am writing you this open letter because I think your departure is sudden, and I have been seeking explanations that have not been forthcoming.
You served only one four-year term, when you could have served another four years, to complete eight years at the apex organization.
I have read and seen some videos of some individuals, groups and states eulogizing you and thanking you for your service to Africa and for transforming the ECA.
In the four years that you headed the ECA, you seemed like a strong man who knew what he was about, you started something that looked like a revolution, initiating drastic reforms, in an effort to make the ECA a think tank for Africa – a leading think tank.
I don’t have all the facts, so I am unable to tell if you succeeded or not. I also remember that you embarked on making the Statistics Unit of the ECA, the hub of statistics on the continent – considering the importance of statistics in development discourse and practice, I agree that, that was in the right direction. I also once heard you say, sometime in January 2015, to my surprise, that at that time you couldn’t find anyone qualified enough to head the unit. You subsequently hired my good friend from the African Development Bank (AfDB), Oliver Chinganya to head the unit.
It would be nice to know if you have been able to achieve the objectives of making the unit a major source of statistics on the continent, or at least, I will be happy to know if it is on course to attaining that goal. Statistics is too important at this stage, for Africa.
Dear Dr. Lopes, you have done so much for the ECA, by transforming it into an institution ready to influence Africa’s structural transformation. You have impacted so many leaders on the continent in the four years that you have headed the ECA.
But why aren’t you going for a second term? Don’t you need another four years to deepen what you started?
Well, the records show that not all Executive Secretaries in the history of the ECA have served second terms. Indeed, from the records, it’s even not clear how long or how many terms one is supposed to serve.
The very first Executive Secretary, Mekki Abbas of Sudan, served only for two years, from 1959 to 1961.
The Ghanaian, Robert Gardiner served for 14 years, from 1961 to 1975
Prof. Adebayo Adedeji of Nigeria served for 16 years from 1975 to 1991, and then there was Issa Ben Yacine Diallo of Guinea-Conakry, who served for only a year from 1991 to 1992.
The next after Diallo was Layashi Yaker from Algeria, who served for three years from 1992 to 1995.
Then another Ghanaian, Kingsley Y. Amoako took charge of the ECA and served for 10 years from 1995 to 2005.
Dear Lopes, you took over from the Gambian, Abdoulie Janneh, who was in office for seven years from 2005 to 2012.
No reasons have been given for the different time frames the other Executive Secretaries before you served, there is need for further explanations on why the ECA leadership terms are so markedly different and inconsistent over the years.
It however, would be reasonable to argue that, someone who has made high impact on the organization and the continent, as the good will messages I am reading show, should have continued in office for at least another four years.
Dear Lopes, do you care to share with me why you are leaving, so soon? I want to know.
As an African, and a journalist, who has been giving his best as he can to make Africa succeed, in his little way, everything about the continent concerns me. Moreover, I have worked very closely with the ECA, covering its activities, writing about it and even once worked as a consultant during the eighth edition of the African Development Forum (ADF), the flagship meeting of the ECA.
I was therefore, disappointed when I heard that the 10th edition of the ADF set to have been held this October, has been postponed to 2017.
The ECA gave the following reasons for the postponement. In a press release issued on October 19, 2016 the ECA said “the organizing committee has indicated that one of the strategic objectives of the Tenth African Development Forum is to formally launch an African High Level Panel on Migration to galvanize action on the role of international migration as a vehicle for inclusive growth and transformation in Africa. This objective is derived from Resolution ECA-L3 adopted at the AUC/ECA Conference of the African Ministers of Finance, Economic Development and Planning.
In this regard, a consultative process is underway to identify members of the Panel. In addition, both the AUC and the ECA are undergoing a transition that will be marked by a change in leadership.”
I have written to the ECA seeking clarifications for the reasons. I have been promised responses, but with no clear timeline, even though I had stated that my deadline was over a week ago. While I wait for the responses I had thought of writing you this open letter.
Dear Lopes, I am curious that one of the reasons stated for the postponement of the ADF is change in leadership.
But when you took office in 2012, just when Janneh left office,the ADF was held in Addis Ababa. And from what I heard from staff and some participants, it was one of the successful meetings of the ECA that year. Makes me wonder why a normal process such as leadership change would affect the organization of an important meeting like the ADF, on a very important theme as immigration at this time.
Considering the fact that you have made the ECA stronger, your departure shouldn’t affect the smooth organization of this important meeting, neither should the formation of a High Level Panel, as that can be done after the meeting. The work of the panel would have started after the meeting, anyway.
Incidentally immigration matters have gained greater attention following the destruction of the Calais camp. Large numbers of African youths, disillusioned and frustrated because they can’t find jobs, some facing imminent persecution from their governments are being forced to make the dangerous trip through the Sahara desert and then cross the Mediterranean to get to Europe, where they hope to get a better life for themselves and for their families.
While, I assume the ADF is not necessarily a solution to the issues, the meeting would have highlighted the issue and put it high on the agenda of the continent, and could possibly raise interest in the circumstances that create the conditions for these young Africans who are in the prime of their lives to leave the continent.
I have also realised that some two important meetings have not been held. The Africa Trade Forum (ATF), has not been held since 2013 and the biannual Africa Land Policy Conference (ALPC), which should have been held this year, is not being held, the first one was held in 2014.
The ATF , among other things has sought to look at the key challenges and opportunities in accelerating intra-African trade and enhancing Africa’s participation in global trade; it also sought to pursue a comprehensive agenda on how trade can be used to stimulate and sustain growth in Africa, push for fair trade and especially, the Continental Free Trade Area, which set date for implementation is 2017.
The ALPC sought to be a thought leadership meeting in shaping land policy issues in Africa. Land issues have become problematic and even deadly on the continent.
Meanwhile, you have been described as a firm believer in Africa’s ability to tackle its own challenges and that you have stood for, among others structural transformation and kept a keen eye on illicit financial flows from Africa – which costs the continent some $50 billion a year.
The ECA described you also, as a champion of Africa’s structural transformation through industrialization, adding that you have transformed the ECA’s role towards becoming a Think Tank of reference with the uptake of ECA products by Member States for policy formulation rising exponentially.
“Some of the issues he has stood firmly on include the loss of Africa’s billions of dollars from bad contract negotiations, lazy fiscal reforms or illicit financial flows. He was the first to call for debt cancellation for Ebola-affected countries on the continent and led a team that demonstrated the economic impact projections on Africa were highly exaggerated and part of a negative narrative,” the ECA had said in a press release.
It also credited you for helping and advising African leaders on how to finance their economies from domestic resources.
The organization noted that one of your main achievements while with the ECA was your role in championing the need for improved data and statistics for informed decision-making on the continent, and in that regard, you repositioned the ECA’s sub-regional offices into sub-regional data centres collecting and collating data on emerging issues of relevance to Africa’s transformation, including country profiles and an African statistical flash, and the proposal for an Africa data Consensus and statistical information platform.
The Akans of Ghana have a saying, which goes like this, “A person comes to do some, but not to do all.” You could be said to have done your part, just like the others before you, and probably those who will come after you.
Be that as it may, it would be fair to get the whole picture. As a journalist, I would be happy to get the whole Carlos Lopes story, so I can make a fair and balanced assessment of his period at the helms of affairs at the ECA, especially at these critical points in Africa’s history.
For an international public institution like the ECA, and as important as it is, and considering the very important role of journalists, some of us African journalists will like to ask for more transparency, as there is enough evidence to show that it is one of the most efficient means and enabler for us to work together to make Africa succeed.
Meanwhile, I can see that you have already been recruited by President Paul Kagame to work with a team for the AU.
I wish you well, in your new endeavour, and I hope to see you soon as you take on your new role.
Good luck.
Yours sincerely,
Emmanuel K. Dogbevi
Email: [email protected]