ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (APO) — The African Union and the United States government have worked together in significant ways to improve the lives of people in Africa. This collaboration, which can be found in diverse areas such as agriculture, HIV and AIDS, reducing hunger and poverty, As well as peace and security, ought to be strengthened and re- modeled to ensure that any future efforts will be aligned to the interests of Africa and other developing countries.
This was the gist of discussions which took place today at the African Union Commission, between the Commission’s Deputy Chairperson and the outgoing US Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr. Donald Yamamoto, who came to formally bid farewell to the Commission after being Ambassador to Ethiopia since November 2006. Since January this year, he has also doubled as US Ambassador to the African Union.
Mr. Yamamoto disclosed that a new paradigm for development will be formulated and implemented by the new administration of President Obama. The new thinking, he said, questions whether aid is the best means to assist Africa and that, increasingly, there is the feeling that the focus should be on development, which is more sustainable.
In the context of a need to strike a balance between domestic and international policies for the US, the Deputy Chair suggested that the African Union can also assist the US government to adjust its national policies to suit global demands. He highlighted a need for a mechanism that allows both parties to listen and to talk to each other, so that development can progress smoothly, and that African perspectives are taken on board in the development of policy. He talked about the issue of climate change for example, where he said Africa, though a recipient of the effects of the climate change, can help in formulating adaptation strategies.
The two leaders also discussed current and future collaboration between the AU and the US government, such as linking the AU library to the Library of Congress, and an expected training programme to upgrade the Commission’s communication strategies and policies.