Walter Nana Wilson, AfricaNews reporter in Buea, Cameroon
The African Union, AU, has given a resounding support to the candidacy of Nigerian Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for president of the World Bank.
Nominations for the post expired on Friday, March 23.
In a statement, the AU said the “impeccable credentials of Dr. Okonjo-Iweala make her the best candidate for the position.
It described her as a development professional who spent more than two decades at the World Bank before becoming the finance minister of Nigeria.
Ambassador Harold E. Doley, Jr. is the first U.S. Executive Director to the African Development Bank. He wrote an article earlier this month supporting the nomination of Dr. Okonjo-Iweala.
Doley, in the article, published in myjoyonline.com corroborates the African Union, saying he believes Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has undisputed credentials to be the next president of the World Bank.
“Dr. Ngozi, without a doubt, was and is the best qualified person to lead the Bank. Her credentials are second to none. She has been at the World Bank for 21 years; she is an economist, with a Ph.D. from MIT with undergraduate degree from Harvard,” writes Doley.
Amb. Doley described this year’s selection process as a watershed moment in terms of opening up the World Bank to full participation and moving beyond what he calls the so-called gentleman’s agreement.
“The process, as she has spoken about it, she only asks for a level playing field so that she can participate as a candidate and be able to forth her program for the Bank. And hopefully the world media would cover this debate at the World Bank for these three candidates,” Doley said.
In its endorsement of Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy, the African Union said the crux of development issues in the world today resides in Africa, and therefore, the World Bank needs to have at its helm someone with deep knowledge and expertise in a wide-range of development issues.
Amb. Doley said Africa stands to benefit greatly if Okonjo-Iweal is selected president of the World Bank.
“The greatest resource that a country has is its citizenry, and the idea of putting forth a qualified African or a qualified person to run the world’s development institution. Where are the Africans in development? As you brought out, Africa has the greatest development needs, and they should be better represented at the Bank, at the IMF and other multi-lateral institutions,”
Doley said Okonjo-Iweal can get the Bank presidency if developing countries unite behind her candidacy and with the endorsement of one developed country.
“What needs to happen is for the developing countries to coalesce behind her candidacy, and you will need one of the major developed countries to support her, and that most likely candidate would be France,” Doley said.
He said France, with its dependence on Africa for its economic growth and triple “A” bond rating must support Dr. Ngozi for the presidency of the World Bank. Many observers in Nigeria, across the African continent and the world, gave a thumps up to Okonjo-Iweala, following the level-headedness in which she handled the very worrisome fuel subsidy crisis in Nigeria recently.
Posts: 42921 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
Will she make any difference?? the World Bank the IMF all loan shark institutions better to divorce oneself from such, having an African at the head won't mean a damn thing except for bragging rights.
Posts: 6546 | From: japan | Registered: Feb 2009
| IP: Logged |
quote:The African Union, AU, has given a resounding support to the candidacy of Nigerian Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for president of the World Bank.
An absolutely nonsensical endorsement.
1) The woman is not even an economist. Her graduate degree is in "Urban Planning".
2) She is corrupt having caught passing a $50 million no-bid contract to her brother before he World Bank sinecure job.
3) The AU consists of a pack of fools who are just stupidly dazzled by the fact that this woman worked for the loan-sharking destroyer of most of Africa's economies.
4)When this empty-brained woman was hired at the WB she was just a blank slate on which all that pernicious neoliberal nonsense was imprinted. Let's face it neoliberal economic theory is an anathema for Africa's economies.
5)Back in Nigeria after that water-carrier job at the WB Iweala was the foolish architect of the decision to lift subsidies on petroleum. The people went on strike for almost 2 weeks against this measure with sections of the army and police intervening. Result a number of deaths.
Despite opposition from the people this brainwashed World Bank clone was just adamant and eager in implementing her American overseers neoliberal nonsense recommendations.
6) The World bank is just another white world[this collective includes Europe, North America, Australasia and lesser settler appendages like Chile, Argentina, etc.] government--along with the IMF, WTO, WHO, etc,--institution whose function is to keep African and other Third World governments in line with the principle of Western economic imperialism.
7) The World Bank--like the IMF--is highly politicised to the extent that it serves as a rating agency--meaning that international credit markets a nd banks freeze you out if the WB gives a negative rating as was the case with Mugabe and Zimbabwe--for African governments based on how servile and compliant they are with Western policies. If a government behaves just like some confounded Bantustan--most African governments do--then you a get a pat on the back and some tiny loan to do some nonsense project. Invariably some of that loan gets siphoend off--but a wink-wink will do the job once you stay in line.
8)The African Union should be fully aware of the damage caused by WB and IMF policies in Africa--piddling loans and loan shark interest rates plus the politics. It's only because the AU governments are preternatually dumb and ignorant that they could endorse someone as incompetent and dangerous for Africa as World Bank neoliberal clone, Iweala.
As they say "suckers are born every minute", but the problem is some of them end up running African governments.
Posts: 5492 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Iweala is now Finance Minister for Nigeria. A government's Finance Minister is a very important cabinet position. In a nutshell you advise the government how to spend for the welfare of the nation. You have you president's ear--almost automatically.
Nigeria has very serious long-standing problems that any competent Finance Minister would emphasise and advice on how to solve.
When it comes to power supply Nigeria's performance is totally abysmal. 24 hour power supply for the whole country should be a major priority. With a rake in of over $200 million a day from petroleum this problem should have been tackled immediately.
But the plump punkette did no such thing, preferring instead to torment the people of Nigeria more by lifting petroleum subsidies.
Nigeria needs piped water just as the favourite country of the corrupt, comprador governing class has--the United States. But Iweala has made no recommendations to her brain-dead President, Jonathan for more dams and water systems in this regard. Her goal is just to torment the people of Nigeria with neoliberal chatter about lifting petroleum subsidies.
Nigeria needs railway systems and better and more road systems. Iweala has made no recommendations on this. Roads are just terrible and beaten down daily by those huge oil tankers--greedily monopolised by devlish souls who scream bloody murder when anyone talks about railways. That's Iweala is keeping her mouth shut.
Nigeria needs a human approach to itrs citizens. A competent Finace minister would recommend that the average Nigerian more spending power given that this sorry neocolonial country imports just about everything which adds enormously to costs. Of all OPEC nations Nigeria has the lowest minimum wage. What is Iweala saying or recommending? Nothing. Just dining and wining on that huge expenses budget that the governing thieves have voted for themselves. Dinners for themselves, dinners for guests all booked up in 5 star hotels--all foreign owned.
One could go on but it will require a whole book for this outrageous inhumanity.
No doubt it's this kind of nonsense person that the AU chiefs like. Birds of a feather....
Posts: 5492 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic