President Museveni attending the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town.
CAPE TOWN, Sept 5 (NNN-NEW VISION) — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said the success of businesses in Africa is important because it has a direct role in ending polarisation and causing sustainable peace.
Accompanied by First Lady Janet, he made the remarks at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, where he was part of a panel discussion themed Working Towards Peace.
Generally, the meeting has brought together over 1,000 leaders from government, business and civil society, including ten heads of state or government. Top of the agenda is new partnerships to create sustainable employment opportunities for Africa’s large and growing workforce.
The discussion at the Cape Town International Convention Centre was moderated by Borge Brende, the president of the World Economic Forum.
Museveni noted that businesses were capable of transforming Africa from its current vertical pre-capitalist setting, which is pre-occupied by tribe and other identity issues, to a horizontal system dominated by interests.
“Thriving businesses cause social transformation which changes society. When you have a big middle class dominated by employers and employees, issues become different. Discussion now becomes about salaries, working hours, making them horizontal,” he said.
“Business therefore is part of durable peace-building. You cannot maintain a pre-capitalist structure of society and think that you will have peace.”
Citing the French Revolution and the Renaissance, Museveni said even the West had only transformed after it had dealt with the peasantry societies, replacing them with the middle class.
“You must have a middle class, it is more cosmopolitan than tribes, which are parochial. If you are herding goats, you only need one hill but if I am producing motorcycles, I need the whole of East Africa. Business will consolidate peace.”
“You find people fighting because they are Muslims or Christians or because of their tribes. This is pseudo-ideology causing false polarisation,” Museveni said.
The modern person, according to him, is interested in prosperity and this is made possible by trade, which is rarely facilitated by tribe, which instead many times works as a hindrance.
“Wars therefore premised on identity must be condemned because they are ideologically bankrupt. They are criminal wars.”
President Museveni also observed that the conflicting groups must be challenged about their motives, saying that even if peace was to be obtained, it must be “principled” and not just because one warring party had been overwhelmed.
The other panelists in the discussion were Sahlework Zewde, Ethiopia’s President, Smail Chergui, the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Sipho Pityana, chairman of Anglo-Gold Ashanti and Susanna Moorehead, the chair of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Development.
President Zewde in her remarks made a case for involvement of women in peace-building, saying they bear the greatest brunt of conflict.
“Women should not just be victims, they should be part of the solution. We have seen that where women are involved at the table of conflict resolution, things move faster. We must continue making this happen,” she said.
The World Economic Forum on Africa, which runs till Friday, is being held under the general theme of “Shaping Inclusive Growth and Shared Futures in the Fourth Industrial Revolution”. President Museveni is among the dozen African leaders gracing the summit. — NNN-NEW VISION