Ex Africa aliquando aliquod novi

I spend all my working hours attacking the damage done to the poor of Africa by aid, protectionism and Western fads so perhaps it is worth noting that there is sometimes something new from Africa: some spectacular localised breakthroughs in corruption, some rule of law and a bit of economic growth.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation reports economic growth in Africa of six per cent in 2005, exports (excluding oil) up in quantity and in value and many fewer deaths in conflicts. They admit their figures do not disclose if any of this growth trickled down to the 70 per cent of Africans who work the land (producing only 17 per cent of GDP and 20 per cent of exports) but growth does look like good news.

Nigeria has peacefully ceded the border area of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon after a ruling by the International Court of Justice: the inhabitants are not happy but it is amazing that such an emotive issue has been resolved in law, especially as it involves a whale and a minnow. Equally surprisingly, Nigeria has been chasing down some of its most spectacular kleptocrats. In July this year, London's Metropolitan Police handed the Nigerian High Commissioner a cheque for a million pounds recovered from Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha’s assets after a joint operation with Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Alamieyeseigha is awaiting trial in Lagos (although another governor arrested in London was given bail, fled back home and still rules his State, with immunity from prosecution).

South African Vice-President Jacob Zuma was forced to resign pending trial for corruption: many South Africans find this shameful but they should be proud that their country can bring down the mighty without violence.

The most heartening development of all came from Kenya where government advisor John Githongo declined to cover up his corruption investigation and the media pursued his revelations that showed how President Mwai Kibaki, elected as a reformer, had in fact maintained the system built up by his predecessor Daniel arap Moi, including the use of one of Moi’s cover companies. Githongo is modest about his own role and is even optimistic about Africa: although rulers’ "attitudes are still quite brazen" towards corruption, "the democratic tradition has truly kicked in across the continent. Despite challenges no one reasonable harks back to the one-party state or military rule," he said in June. Githongo is an exceptional man and corruption is not in overall decline in Africa but his revelations were picked up and pursued by a robust and persecuted press and by brave politicians: this looks like a movement, not just an isolated event.

As for the plague of aid-dependency, even Bono has admitted that money does not create development and the British government has squeezed Ethiopia’s and Kenya’s handouts a little (but not as much as it claims) because of political oppression or corruption. Against these symptoms of progress, we have the endless plague of AIDS and the irruption on the scene of China, ruthless and happy to do business with the ruthless.

The West must do everything we can to make Africans more prosperous by persuading them to free their economies and open their domestic, regional and international markets and by cutting our internal subsidies and dropping trade barriers: prosperity makes good neighbours, it is a good contraceptive and health remedy and it could push back Chinese influence. Otherwise, it’s on with Mugabe, back to Mobutu and to hell with Githongo.