Radio Host - Bernícia Cotela
The Mozambican capital Maputo hosts the 4th African Conference on Debt and Development, which brings together African citizens to discuss and debate Africa's path towards economic, political and social self-determination.Speaking to journalists, the Executive Director of the African Forum and Network on Debt Development, Jason Braganza, said that more than 27 African countries are paying more in debt services than in investment in public services.
Jason R. Braganza – Executive Director, AFRODAD
We are extremely excited and pleased to be here in Maputo in Mozambique with our friends and comrades at the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights to be hosting this 4th African conference on Debt and development.It's one of our flagship events that we have every year. We try to bring a Pan African perspective on the issues of debt that are affecting our country, our continent and our people. We believe it's something that is very important, to understand how issues of public debt affect citizens, because when we have a lot of debt, many countries are having to pay the debt back to their creditors instead of investing the money in public services like health, education and other public services.For this reason, the conference this year is very important because over 27 African countries are paying more in debt servicing than they are in investments in health and education. The debt service burden is getting very difficult, and we can see there's a lot of citizen unrest, a lot of citizen unhappiness that we're spending so much money on debt servicing instead of investing in our public services. We've seen protests across the continent, across the world. It's important that we have this conversation and having it here in Maputo is especially special because the theme of this year's conference is around looking at a feminist perspective on issues of public debt. We all know that the city of Maputo is where the Maputo Protocol was signed by the AU member states to promote contribution of the budget into investments for gender related activities. We're very excited to be here in Maputo having this conversation to understand how far the Maputo Protocol has gone in advancing the status of women on our continent because they are very important. They are more than 50% of the African population and they are a big contributor to the economic success and the economic transformation of our continent.
Radio Host - Bernícia Cotela
On the other hand, the Barbara Kalima Piri, who is the chair of the Board of Trustees for the African Forum on Debt and Development, AFRODAD, said that the participation of women in decision making is important for the success of development plans, thus reducing the impact of debt servicing in women's and girls.
Barbara Kalima-Phiri – Chairperson, AFRODAD Board of Trustees
This conference that we are at today is very important because it's looking at what are some of the alternatives around debt, how can we resolve the issue of debt. And for many years the analysis and the strategies that have been developed have missed the role of women in it. Women and boys and girls are central to the success of development goals or development plans. And so when you look at the, the debt strategies, the impact of, you know, the debt servicing and the cost of debt servicing is disproportionately very high on women and girls. We want to bring the realities and the plight of women to the centre of the conversation so that even when policies are designed, when strategies are designed, they look at the impact that it has on women. We're tired of saying women should be included, women should be given space. We don't need permission anymore. We need to take that power and, and identify those spaces ourselves as women and bring, you know, the value that women have, you know, on the table. Spaces that are available, for example in parliament, we need more women in parliament, we need more women in strategic decision making and governance structures. We need more women in boards. We need more women in all the spaces where strategic decisions are being made. Women should just not be seen as a mother selling cashew nuts on the road. They have value, they can contribute even in the community where they're the women's groups, you know, working with the men in the community. We want the women to be at the centre of the decision making as well because anything you discuss; all the policies have got a big impact on them.
Radio Host - Bernícia Cotela
This year's African Conference on Debt and Development goes under the theme Africa's debt crisis, Pan African feminist perspectives and alternatives. The event ends on Friday (30th August 2024).