Private sector has huge role on Africa development, says Kibaki

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President Kibaki has said that the private sector has a huge role towards the fulfillment of development initiatives in the continent including Kenya’s Vision 2030 August 3, 2011. FILE 

By VPPS
Posted  Wednesday, August 3  2011 at  14:06

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President Kibaki has said that the private sector has a huge role towards the fulfillment of development initiatives in the continent including Kenya’s Vision 2030.

He said the government’s role is to create an enabling environment and infrastructure while other stakeholders contribute to the realisation of national dreams and aspirations.

“Where there is a private sector that understands and translates official visions into appropriate interventions, economies have grown, wealth has been created and business has been harnessed and resultant human development,” said the President.

The remarks was contained in a speech read on his behalf by the Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka during the opening of the  Second African Governance, Leadership and Management Convention at the Sarova Whitesands Hotel, Mombasa Wednesday.

The forum brings together the private sector, non-state actors and other stake stakeholders to reflect and brainstorm on common agenda of economic growth and human development in Africa.

The theme of this year’s convention is ‘Harnessing Business Growth and Human Development in the 21st Century in Africa: Claiming the Second Decade.’

The forum was also addressed by the Patron and former president of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo and former South Africa leader Thabo Mbeki.

President Kibaki urged Africans to focus on  innovativeness and improved service delivery in all critical areas both in public and private sectors.

“Our condition in Africa can only improve if we create wealth and aligned it with people, quite often, it is taken as a matter of course that creation of wealth and improving the human conditions in any country is the responsibilities of the Government while other stakeholders’ looks on, this is a fallacy of our time,” he noted.

President Kibaki challenged African leaders to live to the expectation of the continent's heroes of a social- economic prosperous Africa expressed by among others, Kwame Nkurumah, Nelson Mandela, Patrice Lumumba, Julius Nyerere and Jomo Kenyatta .

Mr Obasanjo stressed that quality leadership is the cornerstone of the continent's development and commended the initiatives by the African Union, the NEPAD and African Peer Review Mechanisms in supporting the Africa's economies.

The Patron noted that Africa has great opportunities for investment including abundant human and natural resources that need to be harnessed for the benefit of the people in Africa.

He encouraged public-private sector partnership and entrepreneurship in addressing the problems of poverty that continue to ravage majority of African states.

Former South African president Thabo Mbeki called on professionals in the continent to come up with innovative ways of liberating the continent from economic hardships and help it take its rightful place globally in the 21st century.

Mr Musyoka said that Africa is faced with myriad challenges including global climate change that has caused famine in various parts of the continent, particularly the horn of Africa.

The VP thanked the international community for partnering with the Kenyan Government in assisting people in drought stricken areas.

Also present at the function were the Trade minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere, his Transport counterpart Amos Kimunya, Medical Services minister, Anyang', Nyong'o, Executive Director, Kenya Institute of Management David Mturi and the Director, African Leadership Forum Ayodele Aderinwale among others.