Godwin Emejuobi: Port Harcourt, Nigeria "God is the help of Africa" Kasozi Lubega: Kampala, Uganda "Gain power without conflict" Ousman Njie: Cairo, Egypt "Reaffirming British interests" Samantha Smit: Lusaka, Zambia "Teachers and textbooks"

Iqbal Jhazbhay: Pretoria, South Africa "Development and stability" Yared Mussie: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia "Uncompetitive in business" Trevor Simumba: Freetown, Sierra Leone "We have to help ourselves first" Amboka Wameyo: Arusha, Tanzania "Africa should be trusted"

Trevor Simumba

I feel that the Commission for Africa is a good idea but it is premised on a very wrong assumption that the world owes Africa.

MEET THE PANEL Name: Trevor Maliwanda Simumba Age: 34 Lives: Freetown, Sierra Leone Occupation: International Trade Expert, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Sierra Leone govt. Born: Lusaka, Zambia Religion: Christian Ethnic group: Namwanga In 10 words or less: Hardworking and patriotic. I love travel, music and watching soccer

I believe we have to help ourselves first before we can seek help from others.

Our continent's biggest problem is the mediocre leadership we face at the political level.

We need to deal with the fundamental human right of African people to be consulted and to have a real stake in their own country.

Many Africans do not own any assets, even the most basic, like land.

In every African country there is a distinct class system that enables the small elite to enjoy all the fruits of the economy.

These same elite make up the political class, the civil service, the church and the so-called civil society that milks all the donor money.

This creates a highly corrupt leadership structure and political system that only benefits the top 20% of the population.

You find this in every country of Africa except maybe Botswana.

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What we need to discuss honestly and openly is how we will get the new generation of Africans who have never lived under colonialism to become the new leaders of today.

We need to open the political systems and stop this murder and corruption of our institutions.

As a young African professional I have remained to make my career within Africa and today I advise an African government on economic development.

In the near future the youth of Africa will have to come together and form a Pan African political party to contest elections democratically and provide a new type of leadership based on selfless service to the people.

We will achieve this by mobilizing the people at the community level and setting an example by our actions and they way we live.

Mr Blair should speak to young Africans like me who do not carry any baggage from the past on our shoulders.

To professionals who sacrifice daily to feed and educate not only our biological children but the extended family decimated by the scourge of HIV/Aids.

When I look at my three children and three adopted orphans I despair at the future they will have as Africans and whether any of our leaders have answers for them.

Mr Blair must also talk to the large UK African Diaspora.

Your comments:

Being a Sierra Leonean and thereby an African, I think it is the duty of every individual African to work hard, forget tribal groupings, make traditional chiefs work hand in hand with the governments so to help develop the continent. Even if money is poured in Africa, developed nations cannot do the work for us. I kindly ask on most of our leaders to forget their pockets being well lined and work for the interests of the population. Until corruption dies down, development in Africa is going to take a very very long time; most probably centuries.
Abu Jalloh, Madrid, Spain

Corruption is that monstrous cause keeping the whole of Africa from emerging to be eased of very basic human needs Chris K, Canada

You have said it all Trevor about what present-day leaders of Africa have failed to deliver. It is an endemic problem and corruption is that monstrous cause keeping the whole of Africa from emerging to be eased of very basic human needs such as access to basic healthcare, education and a whole list of others what the developed world enjoys as a basic right. I wish many more are blessed with the wisdom you are trying to cultivate within a society struggling to emancipate from a creation of your own so-called leaders. I have been in your country extending technical assistance to development projects for many years and gone through some of the worst crises of the nineties.

What your country needs would be judicious and astute individuals like your self in leadership to attain any meaningful progress. If managed well, the immense wealth in the form of natural resources your continent and your country in particular is blessed with, would be more than adequate to bring about peace and development to your people. Depending on handouts in the way of aid/loans may leave you where you are today and for forever. Nothing is greater than self reliance! I wish you well in all your endeavours.
Chris K, St Catharins, Ontario, Canada

True indeed, most of Africa's problems are caused by mediocre leadership exacerbated by nepotism, cronyism and structural unemployment. The liberators of yesteryears are today's tormentors. This phenomenon has been encouraged by weak institutions (or is it lack of them) to provide checks and balances as well as lack of respect for the rule of law. Most of African leaders want to die in office - they try to change their countries' constitutions to suit their selfish ends at any slightest opportunity. Examples are abound in Africa to this end (with very few exemptions, if any). It is also true that we need change - a break away from leadership originating from the colonial era.
Protase Echessah, Asmara, Eritrea (on a two month assignment)

The mechanisms must be developed to enable small organisations and even individuals doing positive work to be engaged too Eben Arthur, London, UK

What else is there to say - Trevor has said it all - almost. Almost because we can't stop at the leadership. It has been said that people get the leadership they deserve. Power belongs to the people, not to the leaders. Once power is reclaimed by the people, then they can use it to ensure that paper guarantees of their rights can be interpreted into concrete entitlements. Some of us living outside Africa are trying to make this happen. I belong to an African led charity in the UK called African Outreach.

We have had some success, having received support from UK organisations such as Comic Relief and ComputerAid International, and Trusts such as the Gibbs and Jephcott Foundation for partners in Ghana and South Africa. But our office is littered with rejection slips. This is where the Commission for Africa ought to play a meaningful role. Elite organisations claiming to represent African interests have failed again and again. Yet they are the ones such initiatives continually engage. This is wrong. The mechanisms must be developed to enable small organisations and even individuals doing positive work to be engaged too, and especially young people. They are willing and able to contribute - but who will give them the opportunity?
Eben Arthur, London, UK

Where are the resources like oil, diamonds, gold, rubber etc. going? Osman Mansaray, USA

I agree with all what my African brothers and sisters have said about Africa. I believe Africa's main problems are leadership and corruption. We can blame the Western world as much as we want, but we as a people are not doing anything to help improve the society. Africa is one of the richest continents in world, but where are the resources like oil, diamonds, gold, rubber etc. going, and who are we going to blame for our problems? African leaders are corrupt; they don't care for the wellbeing of the continent. They stole all the income and put the money in foreign banks. What can that do for the people of Africa - nothing.

The only people that they are helping are the people in the country where they banked the stolen money. Because the citizens of that country can loan the money for their governments or local banks and enrich themselves with the money, while the Africans are killing each other. They don't think about the future of the continent. African leaders don't care about building new schools or hospitals. Why doesn't the commission propose a system like lending money to the people themselves instead of the leaders?
Osman Mansaray, Los Angeles, USA

What will allow us to confront and defeat these challenges as a continent is strong leadership and economic and political development Zola Ndulo, USA

I agree with your comments Trevor. I would like to add that while we as Africans need to be cognizant of our colonial past, I believe that in order for us to progress we need to address the issues and challenges we confront today. These problems range from economic underdevelopment, to the Aids pandemic to a lack of educational and economic opportunity for the majority of people. What will allow us to confront and defeat these challenges as a continent is strong leadership and economic and political development.

Too often as Trevor points out, the elite who hold economic power (as meagre as it is) and political power do little to empower the majority of Africans. Countless African countries have suffered at the hands of corrupt and selfish leaders who do not have the vision to advance the lot of the majority of Africans. Education and opportunity will lead to the development of new innovative leaders who will be able to guide Africa in the direction it needs to go. I have a lot of respect for educated Africans like you who have had the option of living anywhere, but have dedicated themselves to working for the development of the continent from within.
Zola Ndulo, Phoenix, USA

To Zola, USA: Thanks and it's good to know you have not forgotten your Motherland out there in Arizona. Let's find a way of getting together with our brothers and sisters out there in the Diaspora and let's see if we can get this continent moving. For now I remain here in Africa and continue fighting for what is ours by birthright. Freedom and prosperity for all.
Trevor Simumba, Freetown, Sierra Leone

We have work to be done, but we cannot start anywhere if the literacy rate among the African people is not improved Michael Pokawa, Sierra Leone/USA

I very much agree with you Trevor. I believe we need to focus on youths that carry no baggage from the past; yet acknowledging the events of the past. I live in the West now but I am politically engaged with the continent on visits once or twice a year. I have long suggested that one way for our African leaders to show leadership is by starting an educational fund where students can loan money from and pay back for higher education. The higher the literacy rate among African nations, the more the conscious level towards the kinds of exploitation that goes on by Africans and the Western governments and businesses. If the literacy rate is less than 31% in Sierra Leone and more than 70% in Zimbabwe, perhaps that explains the situation you see going on today in Zimbabwe.

I have also long suggested that it is time we make use of our coastline. I propose that we have a ferry transit system from let us say in Senegal, to Sierra Leone, all the way to Cameroon, Angola, or South Africa. In that way, not only will you be creating jobs for your youths, but also you will limit the extraordinary air fare charges on the African continent, which is making us not communicate in trade/commerce, social, political, and other relationship development. We have work to be done, but we cannot start anywhere if the literacy rate among the African people is not improved as a tool to confront corruption and Western exploitation.
Michael Pokawa, Sierra Leone/USA

To Michael Pokawa, Sierra Leone/USA: Thanks for your positive comments. I totally agree with you about education. This is one area we have a problem with in many parts of Africa. As you know most universities depend on state funding which is minimal. Further, because most universities do not undertake research work the brilliant lecturers and researchers are all working abroad. About the fund it is a good idea but who will fund it and how can we get private money into such a fund?

Maybe the Commission for Africa could consider giving direct loans for post graduate study within Africa to students willing to work in their own countries on completion? Again the issue is if you do not have a good economy with a working democratic political system most professional Africans like yourself will move abroad. I believe as we continue to dialogue and develop ideas we will find a solution.
Trevor Simumba, Freetown, Sierra Leone