250 African researchers, academics, actors of civil society and the private sector organizations, representatives of specialized regional and international agencies shared their ideas on African development at a symposium on African Development organized by ECOWAS of 3 October 5, 2010 in Ouagadougou.
The meeting will allow participants to discuss various topics of development that concern the African continent. These include the lessons of the fiftieth anniversary of Independence, the origins of the crisis of development in West Africa, the impact of development crises, the impact of foreign aid, the status of women, culture, Relations West-Africa; globalization, globalization, regional integration, IT, industrialization, civil and political liberties, the single currency, the causes of poverty, forms of struggle against poverty, the role civil society, migration, border conflicts, the involvement of the diaspora, communication introverted, food security, the role of the private sector.
In light of the discussions, sometimes fed, the participants made a series of recommendations. Among these have noted the need for a revolution in agriculture to feed the people first, ensure food security, reduce dependence on food aid, increasing agricultural production and food needs of citizens.
The symposium sought to find Ouagadougou for Africa, a new system of financing for development which free the region of dependence outside opinion, support the private sector and actable bridges between the industry, research and finance to enable the private sector to seize the investment opportunities in the region.
Another strong recommendation of the symposium was to bring researchers to propose a plan of industrial development through planning and implementing technology in the region a real strategy for biotechnology development by encouraging businesses that support innovation.
Another resolution on the establishment of a policy of legal certainty for all in the region and encourage them to return to the forms of good citizenship through respect for others and respect for oneself. It was also discussed to promote patriotism of all development actors in the region.
The symposium also recommended to ask member states of ECOWAS, to stop a definitive timetable for the creation of the single currency, to establish a genuine political communication at the regional level, creating a cell saver to anticipate crises and to give substance to the concept of frontier land and its operationalization through the dismantling of barriers within the region.
It also acts to guide the community levy to tracks such as financing infrastructure, research funding, the establishment of adequate mechanisms for financing research, develop a culture of Statistics specific to the region, promote the return of the African diaspora by creating better conditions for inclusion and integration.
The symposium was proposed to establish national ECOWAS cells, centers of information and documentation on the activities of ECOWAS, to sit flat from a multidisciplinary regional civil society with the support of the ECOWAS Commission in order to support integration programs, strengthen South-South relations by creating cross-functional projects to increase trade and encourage technology transfer in the region.
Finally, participants were asked to validate the symposium with the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS and establish a monitoring unit to implement the recommendations of the Symposium of Ouagadougou.
Previously, participants agreed, during the various workshops, the need to revise the status of women in the ECOWAS region so that it participates fully in regional development.
Moreover, the theme of poverty has been extensively discussed during the symposium. Participants agreed that poverty is a reality in the region. The need for an accurate assessment of the level of poverty of the region as well as identifying shapes and control strategies implemented were discussed. According to participants, there’s a division between the reflections on this subject. With regard to cultural aspects, preference intellectuals went to an ink in our culture while remaining open to others and drawing on universal values that can survive in a globalized environment.
The analysis of the food situation in the region revealed that the agricultural revolution is a precondition for development and that its realization is priceless. In addition, in the formulation of development policies, energy and water must precede industrialization which exploits the raw materials to increase value added either in the direction of domestic value added, but in the sense of regional added value focused.
This symposium has awakened the spirit and sense of community in more than one participant ended with the closing speech of the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission who will say that this meeting will reaffirm the consensus that emerges around for decades behind the region and the difficulties it has to initiate progress. In pursuing the vice president says that trade has not shown that nya-made solutions for operational implementation of development models, especially in the ECOWAS countries where the effectiveness of models of inspiration is not always established.
In closing, the Vice-President expressed the willingness of ECOWAS to strengthen collaboration between ECOWAS and the academic world before giving the assurance that ECOWAS will submit to the authorities of the region, conclusions and recommendations of this symposium.