Thank you very much, Chris. Everybody who came up here said they were scared. I don't know if I'm scared, but this is my first time of addressing an audience like this. And I don't have any smart technology for you to look at. There are no slides, so you'll just have to be content with me. (Laughter)
Asante sana Chris. Kila mtu aliyekuja hapa alisema kuwa anaogopa. Sijui kama na mimi ninaogopa, lakini hii ni mara yangu ya kwanza kuhutubia hadhara kama hii. Na sina teknolojia yeyote ya kisasa kwa ajili yenu ili muweze kuiangalia. Hakuna kielezopicha, kwa hiyo itabidi mnivumilie. (Kicheko).
What I want to do this morning is share with you a couple of stories and talk about a different Africa. Already this morning there were some allusions to the Africa that you hear about all the time: the Africa of HIV/AIDS, the Africa of malaria, the Africa of poverty, the Africa of conflict, and the Africa of disasters.
Ninachotaka kufanya asubuhi hii ni kuwasimulia hadithi kadhaa na kuongelea kuhusu Afrika iliyo tofauti. Tayari asubuhi hii kulikuwa na madokezo kuhusu Afrika unayoyasikia kila mara: Afrika ya VVU/UKIMWI, Afrika ya malaria, Afrika ya umaskini, Afrika ya migongano, na Afrika ya maafa.
While it is true that those things are going on, there's an Africa that you don't hear about very much. And sometimes I'm puzzled, and I ask myself why. This is the Africa that is changing, that Chris alluded to. This is the Africa of opportunity. This is the Africa where people want to take charge of their own futures and their own destinies. And this is the Africa where people are looking for partnerships to do this. That's what I want to talk about today.
Ingawa kuna ukweli kwamba mambo hayo yanatokea, kuna Afrika ambayo hamuisikii sana. Na saa nyingine nashangazwa na kujiuliza kwanini. Hii ni Afrika ambayo inabadilika, ambayo Chris ameidokezea. Hii ni Afrika yenye fursa. Hii ni Afrika ambayo watu wanataka kuchukua hatua juu ya maisha na uwezo wao. Na hii ndio Afrika ambayo watu wanatafuta kuingia ubia kufanya hivyo. Na hili haswa ndilo ninalotaka kuzungumzia leo.
And I want to start by telling you a story about that change in Africa. On 15th of September 2005, Mr. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, a governor of one of the oil-rich states of Nigeria, was arrested by the London Metropolitan Police on a visit to London. He was arrested because there were transfers of eight million dollars that went into some dormant accounts that belonged to him and his family. This arrest occurred because there was cooperation between the London Metropolitan Police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria -- led by one of our most able and courageous people: Mr. Nuhu Ribadu. Alamieyeseigha was arraigned in London. Due to some slip-ups, he managed to escape dressed as a woman and ran from London back to Nigeria where, according to our constitution, those in office as governors, president -- as in many countries -- have immunity and cannot be prosecuted. But what happened: people were so outraged by this behavior that it was possible for his state legislature to impeach him and get him out of office.
Ningependa kuanza kwa kuwaambia habari kuhusu mabadiliko hayo Afrika. Mnamo 15 Septemba 2005, Bwana Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, Gavana wa jimbo moja lenye utajiri wa mafuta huko Nigeria, alikamatwa na Polisi wa mji wa London alipokuwa matembizini mjini London. Alikamatwa kwasababu kulikuwa na hamisho la kiasi cha dola za kimarekani milioni 8 ambazo zilienda katika akaunti hewa ambazo alikuwa akizimiliki yeye pamoja na familia yake. Kukamatwa kwake kuliwezekana kwasababu kulikuwa na ushirikiano baina ya Polisi wa mji wa London na Tume ya Uhalifu wa Kiuchumi na Fedha ya Nigeria -- inayoongozwa na mtu wenye uwezo na ujasiri: Bwana Nuhu Ribadu. Alamieyeseigha alikamatwa mjini London. Kutokana na udhaifu, alifanikiwa kutoroka akiwa amevalia kama mwanamke na kukimbia kutoka London kurudi Nigeria ambako, kwa mujibu wa katiba, wale walio madarakani kama magavana, rais – kama ilivyo kwenye nchi nyingi -- wana kinga na hawawezi kushtakiwa. Lakini nini kilitokea: watu walikasirishwa sana na tabia hii na iliwezekana kwa sheria za jimbo lake kumvua madaraka.
Today, Alams -- as we call him for short -- is in jail. This is a story about the fact that people in Africa are no longer willing to tolerate corruption from their leaders. This is a story about the fact that people want their resources managed properly for their good, and not taken out to places where they'll benefit just a few of the elite. And therefore, when you hear about the corrupt Africa -- corruption all the time -- I want you to know that the people and the governments are trying hard to fight this in some of the countries, and that some successes are emerging.
Leo, Alams – kama tumuitavyo kwa kifupi – yuko jela. Hii ni hadithi kuhusu ukweli kwamba watu wa Afrika hawako tayari tena kuvumilia rushwa kutoka kwa viongozi wao. Hii ni hadithi kuhusu ukweli kwamba watu wanataka rasilimali zao zidhibitiwe vizuri kwa manufaa yao, na sio kupelekwa sehemu ambako itawanufaisha mabwanyenye wachache. Kwa hiyo, unaposikia kuhusu Afrika ya rushwa -- rushwa kila mara – Ninataka mfahamu kuwa watu na serikali wanajitahidi sana kupambana na tatizo hili katika baadhi ya nchi, na kwamba mafanikio yanaanza kuonekana.
Does it mean the problem is over? The answer is no. There's still a long way to go, but that there's a will there. And that successes are being chalked up on this very important fight. So when you hear about corruption, don't just feel that nothing is being done about this -- that you can't operate in any African country because of the overwhelming corruption. That is not the case. There's a will to fight, and in many countries, that fight is ongoing and is being won. In others, like mine, where there has been a long history of dictatorship in Nigeria, the fight is ongoing and we have a long way to go.
Inamaana kuwa tatizo limekwisha? Jibu ni hapana. Bado kuna safari ndefu, lakini pia kuna nia. Mafanikio yanaandikwa juu ya mapigano ya jambo hili muhimu. Kwa hiyo mnaposikia kuhusu rushwa, msifikiri kwamba hakuna linalotendeka kuhusu hili -- na kwamba hamuwezi kufanya kazi katika nchi yeyote Afrika kwasababu ya rushwa. Hiyo si kweli. Kuna nia ya kupambana na rushwa, na katika nchi nyingi, mapambano hayo yanaendelea na mafanikio yanaonekana. Katika nchi nyingine, kama yangu, ambako kumekuwa na historia ndefu ya kidikteta nchini Nigeria, mapambano bado yanaendelea, na bado tuna safari ndefu.
But the truth of the matter is that this is going on. The results are showing: independent monitoring by the World Bank and other organizations show that in many instances the trend is downwards in terms of corruption, and governance is improving. A study by the Economic Commission for Africa showed a clear trend upwards in governance in 28 African countries.
Ukweli wa mambo ni kwamba mapambano bado yanaendelea. Matokeo yanaonekana: tathmini huru ya Benki ya Dunia na mashirika mengine inaonyesha kuwa mwelekeo juu ya rushwa unapungua na utawala unarekebika. Utafiti uliofanywa na Tume ya Uchumi ya Afrika unaonyesha wazi mwelekeo mzuri wa utawala katika nchi 28 za Afrika.
And let me say just one more thing before I leave this area of governance. That is that people talk about corruption, corruption. All the time when they talk about it you immediately think about Africa. That's the image: African countries. But let me say this: if Alams was able to export eight million dollars into an account in London -- if the other people who had taken money, estimated at 20 to 40 billion now of developing countries' monies sitting abroad in the developed countries -- if they're able to do this, what is that? Is that not corruption? In this country, if you receive stolen goods, are you not prosecuted? So when we talk about this kind of corruption, let us also think about what is happening on the other side of the globe -- where the money's going and what can be done to stop it. I'm working on an initiative now, along with the World Bank, on asset recovery, trying to do what we can to get the monies that have been taken abroad -- developing countries' moneys -- to get that sent back. Because if we can get the 20 billion dollars sitting out there back, it may be far more for some of these countries than all the aid that is being put together. (Applause)
Ngoja niseme kitu kimoja zaidi kabla sijamaliza kuzungumzia kuhusu utawala bora. Na ni kitu ambacho watu wanazungumzia kuhusu rushwa, rushwa. Kila mara wanapo zungumzia kuhusu hili mara moja unafikiria Afrika. Hiyo ndio picha: Nchi za Afrika. Lakini ngoja niseme hili: iwapo Alams alifanikiwa kuhamisha dola za kimarekani milioni 8 kwenye akaunti mjini London -- kama watu wengine waliochukukua pesa wakikadiria kuwa kati ya bilioni 20 na 40 za pesa za nchi zinazoendelea ziko nje ya nchi katika nchi zilizoendelea – kama wanaweza kufanyi hivi, hiyo ni nini? Hiyo siyo rushwa? Katika nchi hii, kama ukipokea vitu vya wizi, haushitakiwi? Kwa hiyo tukiongelea kuhusu aina hii ya rushwa, hebu pia tufikirie kuhusu nini kinatokea katika upande mwingine wa dunia -- ambako pesa hizo zinakwenda na nini kifanyike ili kuweza kuzuia hili. Kuna jambo ninalifanyia kazi kwa sasa, pamoja na Benki ya Dunia, kuhusu kurudisha rasilimali, tunajaribu tuwezalo kurudisha pesa ambazo zimepelekwa nje ya nchi -- pesa za nchi zinazoendelea -- ili ziweze kurudishwa. Kama tutaweza kurudisha dola bilioni 20 ambazo ziko nje, litakuwa jambo zuri sana kwa baadhi ya nchi hizi kuliko misaada yote ikiwekwa pamoja. (Makofi).
The second thing I want to talk about is the will for reform. Africans, after -- they're tired, we're tired of being the subject of everybody's charity and care. We are grateful, but we know that we can take charge of our own destinies if we have the will to reform. And what is happening in many African countries now is a realization that no one can do it but us. We have to do it. We can invite partners who can support us, but we have to start. We have to reform our economies, change our leadership, become more democratic, be more open to change and to information.
Kitu cha pili ninachotaka kuzungumzia ni nia ya mageuzi. Afrika, baada – wamechoka, tumechoka kuwa kitovu cha misaada kutoka kwa kila mtu. Tunashukuru, ila tunajua kuwa tunaweza kuchukua hatua juu ya uwezo wetu na kama tuna nia ya kufanya mabadiliko. Na kinachotokea katika nchi nyingi za Afrika sasa ni utambuzi kwamba hakuna anayeweza kufanya lolote ila sisi wenyewe. Ni lazima tufanye. Tunaweza kuwakaribisha washirika ambao wanaweza kutuunga mkono, lakini lazima tuanze wenyewe. Ni lazima turekebishe uchumi wetu, tubadilishe uongozi, tuwe na demokrasia zaidi, tuwe wazi kupokea mabadiliko na taarifa.
And this is what we started to do in one of the largest countries on the continent, Nigeria. In fact, if you're not in Nigeria, you're not in Africa. I want to tell you that. (Laughter) One in four sub-Saharan Africans is Nigerian, and it has 140 million dynamic people -- chaotic people -- but very interesting people. You'll never be bored. (Laughter)
Na hiki ndicho tumeanza kukifanya katika mojawapo kati ya nchi kubwa kabisa katika bara, Nigeria. Hakika, kama hauko Nigeria, hauko Afrika. Ninataka kuwaambia kuwa. (Kicheko). Mmoja kati ya waafrika wanne walio kusini mwa jangwa la Sahara ni Mnigeria, na ina watu milioni 140 – watu wenye pilika -- lakini watu wenye kuvutia. Hauwezi kuchoka. (Kicheko).
What we started to do was to realize that we had to take charge and reform ourselves. And with the support of a leader who was willing, at the time, to do the reforms, we put forward a comprehensive reform program, which we developed ourselves. Not the International Monetary Fund. Not the World Bank, where I worked for 21 years and rose to be a vice president. No one can do it for you. You have to do it for yourself.
Tulichoanza kufanya ni kujua kwamba tunaweza kuchukua hatua na kujibadili wenyewe. Na kwa msaada wa kiongozi ambaye alikuwa na nia, kwa wakati ule, ya kufanya mabadiliko, tunaandaa mpango madhubuti wa mabadiliko ambao tumeuandika wenyewe. Si Shirika la Kimataifa la Fedha. Wala Benki ya Dunia, ambako nilifanya kazi kwa miaka 21 na kufikia cheo cha makamu wa rais. Hakuna mtu anaweza kukufanyia. Inabidi ufanye mwenyewe.
We put together a program that would, one: get the state out of businesses it had nothing -- it had no business being in. The state should not be in the business of producing goods and services because it's inefficient and incompetent. So we decided to privatize many of our enterprises. (Applause) We -- as a result, we decided to liberalize many of our markets. Can you believe that prior to this reform -- which started at the end of 2003, when I left Washington to go and take up the post of Finance Minister -- we had a telecommunications company that was only able to develop 4,500 landlines in its entire 30-year history? (Laughter)
Tukaandaa mpango ambao kwanza, utafanya: kuiondoa serikali kwenye shughuli zisizo na manufaa -- zisizoihusu -- Serikali haitakiwi kufanya biashara ya uzalishaji na utoaji huduma kwasababu haina ufanisi na haina ujuzi. Kwa hiyo tuliamua kubinafsisha mashirika yetu mengi. (Makofi). Sisi -- matokeo yake, tuliamua kuwa na soko huria. Unaweza kuamini kuwa kabla ya mabadiliko haya -- ambayo yalianza mwishoni mwa mwaka 2003, wakati nilipoondoka Washington kwenda kushika nafasi ya Waziri wa Fedha -- tulikuwa na kampuni ya simu ambayo iliweza kutoa huduma za simu za mezani 4,500 katika historia yake ya miaka 30? (Kicheko).
Having a telephone in my country was a huge luxury. You couldn't get it. You had to bribe. You had to do everything to get your phone. When President Obasanjo supported and launched the liberalization of the telecommunications sector, we went from 4,500 landlines to 32 million GSM lines, and counting. Nigeria's telecoms market is the second-fastest growing in the world, after China. We are getting investments of about a billion dollars a year in telecoms. And nobody knows, except a few smart people. (Laughter)
Kuwa na simu katika nchi yangu lilikuwa ni jambo la kifahari sana. Usingeweza kupata. Ilibidi uhonge. Ilibidi ufanye kila uwezalo ili kupata simu. Rais Obasanjo aliunga mkono na kuzindua kulegezwa kwa masharti katika sekta ya mawasiliano tumepanda kutoka simu 4,500 za mezani kufikia simu milioni 32 zenye GSM, na zinaongezeka. Soko la mawasiliano la Nigeria ni la pili kwa ukuaji duniani kote,♪ ikiwa imetanguliwa na China. Tunapata uwekezaji wa takriban dola bilioni 1 kwa mwaka katika mawasiliano. Na hakuna mtu anayejua, isipokuwa kwa wajanja wachache. (Kicheko).
The smartest one, first to come in, was the MTN company of South Africa. And in the three years that I was Finance Minister, they made an average of 360 million dollars profit per year. 360 million in a market -- in a country that is a poor country, with an average per capita income just under 500 dollars per capita. So the market is there. When they kept this under wraps, but soon others got to know. Nigerians themselves began to develop some wireless telecommunications companies, and three or four others have come in. But there's a huge market out there, and people don't know about it, or they don't want to know. So privatization is one of the things we've done.
Wajanja wa kwanza kuja walikuwa ni kampuni ya MTN ya Afrika Kusini. Katika miaka mitatu niliyokuwa Waziri wa Fedha, wamepata wastani wa dola milioni 360 kwa mwaka. milioni 360 katika soko – katika nchi ambayo ni maskini, yenye wastani wa pato la taifa chini ya dola 500. Kwahiyo soko lipo hapo. Walilifanya hili siri, lakini baadae wengine nao walianza kujua. Wanageria wenyewe walianzisha makampuni ya mawasiliano ya simu zisizotumia waya na wengine kama watatu wane hivi wameingia. Lakini bado kuna soko kubwa sana, na watu hawajui kuhusu hili, au hawataki kujua. Kwa hiyo ubinafsishaji ni jambo mojawapo tulilofanya.
The other thing we've also done is to manage our finances better. Because nobody's going to help you and support you if you're not managing your own finances well. And Nigeria, with the oil sector, had the reputation of being corrupt and not managing its own public finances well. So what did we try to do? We introduced a fiscal rule that de-linked our budget from the oil price. Before we used to just budget on whatever oil we bring in, because oil is the biggest, most revenue-earning sector in the economy: 70 percent of our revenues come from oil. We de-linked that, and once we did it, we began to budget at a price slightly lower than the oil price and save whatever was above that price. We didn't know we could pull it off; it was very controversial. But what it immediately did was that the volatility that had been present in terms of our economic development -- where, even if oil prices were high, we would grow very fast. When they crashed, we crashed. And we could hardly even pay anything, any salaries, in the economy. That smoothened out. We were able to save, just before I left, 27 billion dollars. Whereas -- and this went to our reserves -- when I arrived in 2003, we had seven billion dollars in reserves. By the time I left, we had gone up to almost 30 billion dollars. And as we speak now, we have about 40 billion dollars in reserves due to proper management of our finances. And that shores up our economy, makes it stable.
Kitu kingine tulichofanya ni kusimamia vizuri masuala yetu ya fedha. Kwasababu hakuna atakayekusaidia na kukuongoza iwapo hudhibiti fedha zako vizuri. Na Nigeria, ikiwa na sekta ya mafuta, ilikuwa na sifa ya rushwa na kutosimamia vizuri masuala ya fedha za umma. Je tulijaribu kufanya nini? Tulianzisha sheria ya fedha ambayo ilitenganisha bajeti yetu na bei ya mafuta. Zamani tulikuwa tumezoea kubajeti kutokana na kipato ambacho tulikipata kutokana na mafuta, kwasababu mafuta ndiyo sekta kuu ya mapato katika uchumi: asilimia 70 ya mapato yetu yanatokana na mafuta. Tulitenganisha hilo, na tulipofanya hivyo tulianza kubajeti kwa bei ambayo ilikuwa chini kidogo ya bei ya mafuta na kuhifadhi chochote cha ziada juu ya bei hiyo. Hatukuweza kujua kama tungeweza kufanikisha, ilikuwa ni utata sana.® Lakini kitu ambacho kilitokea haraka ilikuwa ni mabadiliko ambayo yalikuwepo kwa maendeleo yetu ya uchumi -- ambapo, hata kama bei ya mafuta ingekuwa juu, tungekuwa haraka sana. Wakati zilipoanguka, tulianguka. Na tulikuwa tunashindwa kulipia chochote, hata mishahara, katika uchumi. Hii ilisawazisha. Tuliweza kuweka akiba, kabla sijaondoka, dola bilioni 27. Ambapo – hii ilienda kwenye hazina yetu -- wakati nilipofika mwaka 2003, tulikuwa na dola billion 7 kwenye akiba. Na wakati naondoka, tulikuwa na karibu dola bilioni 30. Na tunavyoongea sasa, tuna dola bilioni 40 kwenye akiba hii ni kutokana na usimamizi mzuri wa fedha zetu. Hii inasaidia kutuliza uchumi wetu, kuufanya uwe imara.
Our exchange rate that used to fluctuate all the time is now fairly stable and being managed so that business people have a predictability of prices in the economy. We brought inflation down from 28 percent to about 11 percent. And we had GDP grow from an average of 2.3 percent the previous decade to about 6.5 percent now. So all the changes and reforms we were able to make have shown up in results that are measurable in the economy.
Thamani ya fedha yetu ilikuwa ikibadilika kila mara kwa sasa ipo angalau imara na kusimamiwa, ili wafanyabiashara wawe na uhakika wa bei katika uchumi. Tuliweza kudhibiti mfumuko bei kutoka asilimia 28 mpaka karibu asilimia 11. Na pato letu la taifa liliongezeka kutoka wastani wa asilimia 2.3 kwa muongo uliopita mpaka kufikia asilimia 6.5 sasa. Kwa hiyo mabadiliko yote tuliyoweza kufanya yameweza kuonekana kwa vitendo ambavyo vinaweza kuonekana katika uchumi.
And what is more important, because we want to get away from oil and diversify -- and there are so many opportunities in this one big country, as in many countries in Africa -- what was remarkable is that much of this growth came not from the oil sector alone, but from non-oil. Agriculture grew at better than eight percent. As telecoms sector grew, housing and construction, and I could go on and on. And this is to illustrate to you that once you get the macro-economy straightened out, the opportunities in various other sectors are enormous.
Na kitu cha muhimu zaidi, ni kwasababu tunataka kuondokana na mafuta na kupanua wigo zaidi – na kuna fursa nyingi sana katika nchi hii kubwa, kama ilivyo katika nchi nyingine za Afrika -- kilichotia fora zaidi ni huu ukuaji haukutoka kwenye sekta mafuta pekee, bali sekta nyingine pia. Kilimo kilikuwa kwa wastani wa asilimi 8. Sekta ya mawasiliano ilikuwa, makazi na ujenzi, na ninaweza kuendelea zaidi na zaidi. Na hii ni kuwaonyesha kwamba uchumi wako unaporekebishika, fursa katika sekta nyingine zipo nyingi.
We have opportunities in agriculture, like I said. We have opportunities in solid minerals. We have a lot of minerals that no one has even invested in or explored. And we realized that without the proper legislation to make that possible, that wouldn't happen. So we've now got a mining code that is comparable with some of the best in the world. We have opportunities in housing and real estate. There was nothing in a country of 140 million people -- no shopping malls as you know them here. This was an investment opportunity for someone that excited the imagination of people. And now, we have a situation in which the businesses in this mall are doing four times the turnover that they had projected.
Tuna frusa katika kilimo, kama nilivyosema. Tuna fursa katika madini. Tuna madini mengi ambako hakuna mtu amewekeza katika utafutaji. Tumegundua kuwa bila kuwa na sera sahihi za kuwezesha, hilo halitawezekana. Sasa tuna sheria ya uchimbaji madini ambayo inalinganishwa na sheria nyingine bora duniani. Tuna fursa katika makazi na usimamizi wa majumba. Kulikuwa hakuna chochote katika nchi ya watu milioni 140 -- hakuna maduka makubwa kama myajuavyo hapa. Hii inaweza kuwa fursa kwa mtu fulani ambayo ilitia chachu ya kufikiria kwa watu. Sasa tuna mazingira ambayo biashara katika maduka haya makubwa yanapata faida mara nne ya ilivyokadiriwa.
So, huge things in construction, real estate, mortgage markets. Financial services: we had 89 banks. Too many not doing their real business. We consolidated them from 89 to 25 banks by requiring that they increase their capital -- share capital. And it went from about 25 million dollars to 150 million dollars. The banks -- these banks are now consolidated, and that strengthening of the banking system has attracted a lot of investment from outside. Barclays Bank of the U.K. is bringing in 500 million. Standard Chartered has brought in 140 million. And I can go on. Dollars, on and on, into the system.
Kwa hiyo mambo makubwa kwenye ujenzi, mali isiyohamishika, Masoko ya rehani. Huduma za fedha tulikuwa na Benki 89. Nyingi hazifanyi biashara iliyokusudiwa. Tulizizatiti kutoka 89 kufikia Benki 25 kwa waongeze mtaji wao -- gawio la mtaji. Ilikuwa kutoka dola milioni 25 mpaka dola milioni 150. Benki, Benki hizi sasa zimejizatiti na kuimarishwa mfumo wa Benki umevutia wamekezaji wengi kutoka nje. Benki ya Barclays kutoka Uingereza inaingiza milioni 500. Standard Chartered imeingiza milioni 140. Ninaweza kuendelea zaidi. Dola zaidi na zaidi, ndani ya mfumo.
We are doing the same with the insurance sector. So in financial services, a great deal of opportunity. In tourism, in many African countries, a great opportunity. And that's what many people know East Africa for: the wildlife, the elephants, and so on. But managing the tourism market in a way that can really benefit the people is very important.
Tunafanya hivyo hivyo kwenye sekta ya bima. Kwa hiyo kwenye huduma za fedha, kuna fursa kubwa zaidi. Kwenye utalii, katika nchi nyingi za Kiafrika, ni fursa kubwa. Na hii ndiyo sababu kubwa ya kuwa watu wengi wanaifahamu Afrika Mashariki kwa: wanyama pori, tembo na kadhalika. Lakini kusimimamia soko la utalii ili liweze kuwanufaisha watu ni muhimu sana.
So what am I trying to say? I'm trying to tell you that there's a new wave on the continent. A new wave of openness and democratization in which, since 2000, more than two-thirds of African countries have had multi-party democratic elections. Not all of them have been perfect, or will be, but the trend is very clear. I'm trying to tell you that since the past three years, the average rate of growth on the continent has moved from about 2.5 percent to about five percent per annum. This is better than the performance of many OECD countries. So it's clear that things are changing.
Sasa ninachojaribu kusema ni nini? Najaribu kuwaambia kuna wimbi jipya katika bara. Wimbi la uwazi na demokrasia ambapo tangu mwaka 2000, zaidi ya theluthi mbili ya nchi za Afrika zimefanya uchaguzi wa kidemokrasia wa vyama vingi. Si zote zilikuwa kamilifu, au zitakuwa, lakini mwelekeo uko wazi. Ninajaribu kuwaelezea kwamba toka miaka mitatu iliyopita wastani wa ukuaji wa uchumi katika bara umeongezeka kutoka karibu asilimia 2.5 mpaka asilimia 5 kwa mwaka. Hii ni bora zaidi ya ufanisi wa nchi nyingi za OECD. Kwahiyo ni wazi kwamba mambo yanabadilika.
Conflicts are down on the continent; from about 12 conflicts a decade ago, we are down to three or four conflicts -- one of the most terrible, of course, of which is Darfur. And, you know, you have the neighborhood effect where if something is going on in one part of the continent, it looks like the entire continent is affected. But you should know that this continent is not -- is a continent of many countries, not one country. And if we are down to three or four conflicts, it means that there are plenty of opportunities to invest in stable, growing, exciting economies where there's plenty of opportunity. And I want to just make one point about this investment.
Migogoro imepungua barani; kutoka migogoro 12 kwa muongo uliopita, kufikia migogoro mitatu au minne, Mojawapo ya migogoro mibaya zaidi, kwa hakika, ni ule wa Darfur. Na kama ujuavyo, kuna athari kwa majirani, iwapo kuna jambo linatokea upande mmoja wa bara, inaonekana kama bara zima limeathirika. Lakini ni vema muelewe kwamba hili bara -- ni bara lenye nchi nyingi na si nchi moja. Na iwapo tuna migogoro mitatu minne hivi, ina maana kuwa kuna fursa nyingi za kuwekeza katika uchumi ulio imara, unaokua na wenye kusisimua ambako kuna fursa nyingi sana. Ningependa kutoa dokezo moja kuhusu uwekezaji huu.
The best way to help Africans today is to help them to stand on their own feet. And the best way to do that is by helping create jobs. There's no issue with fighting malaria and putting money in that and saving children's lives. That's not what I'm saying. That is fine. But imagine the impact on a family: if the parents can be employed and make sure that their children go to school, that they can buy the drugs to fight the disease themselves. If we can invest in places where you yourselves make money whilst creating jobs and helping people stand on their own feet, isn't that a wonderful opportunity? Isn't that the way to go? And I want to say that some of the best people to invest in on the continent are the women. (Applause)
Namna nzuri ya kuisaidia Afrika sasa ni kuwasaidia waweze kusimama wenyewe. Na namna nzuri ya kufanya hivyo ni kusaidia kuleta ajira. Hakuna tatizo katika kupambana na malaria na kuwekeza pesa kwenye hilo na kuokoa maisha ya watoto. Sina maana hiyo. Hilo ni sawa. Lakini fikiria tofauti itakayokuwa kwenye familia: iwapo wazazi wanaweza kuwa na ajira na wakahakikisha watoto wao wanakwenda shule, kwamba wanaweza kununua dawa za kupambana na magonjwa wao wenyewe. Kama tunaweza kuwekeza kwenye maeneo ambayo nyinyi wenyewe mnapata faida wakati huo huo mkitengeneza ajira na kuwasaidia watu wasimame wenyewe, hii siyo fursa nzuri? Hii si ndiyo njia ya kufuata? Na nataka kusema jambo kuhusu watu bora zaidi wa kuwawekezea katika bara hili ni wanawake. (Makofi).
I have a CD here. I'm sorry that I didn't say anything on time. Otherwise, I would have liked you to have seen this. It says, "Africa: Open for Business." And this is a video that has actually won an award as the best documentary of the year. Understand that the woman who made it is going to be in Tanzania, where they're having the session in June. But it shows you Africans, and particularly African women, who against all odds have developed businesses, some of them world-class.
Nina CD hapa. Samahani sikusema kwa wakati muafaka. Lakini, ningependa mngekuwa mmeiangalia. Inasema, "Afrika: Iko wazi kwa Biashara." Na video hii imeshinda tuzo kama makala bora ya mwaka. Elewa kwamba mwanamke aliyetengeneza makala hii atakuwa Tanzania, ambako watakuwa na kongamano mwezi Juni. Lakini hii inakuonyesha kwamba Waafrika, na hususani wanawake wa Afrika, ambao pamoja na matatizo yote wameweza kuanzisha biashara, nyingine ni za kiwango cha kimataifa.
One of the women in this video, Adenike Ogunlesi, making children's clothes -- which she started as a hobby and grew into a business. Mixing African materials, such as we have, with materials from elsewhere. So, she'll make a little pair of dungarees with corduroys, with African material mixed in. Very creative designs, has reached a stage where she even had an order from Wal-Mart. (Laughter) For 10,000 pieces. So that shows you that we have people who are capable of doing.
Mmoja kati ya wanawake katika video hii, Adenike Ogunlesi, anashona nguo za watoto kitu ambacho alianza kama kujifurahisha na ikakua na kuwa biashara. Akichanganya vitambaa vya Kiafrika ambavyo tunavyo, na vitambaa vingine kutoka sehemu nyingine. Na hivyo, atatengeneza suruali kwa kutumia vitambaa vizito, ikiwa imechanganywa na vitambaa vya kiafrika. Ni ubunifu mzuri sana. Amefikai hatua ambapo anapata zabuni kutoka Wal-Mart. (Kicheko). Kwa nguo 10,000 Kwa hiyo hii inawaonyesha kuwa tuna watu wenye uwezo wa kufanya mambo.
And the women are diligent. They are focused; they work hard. I could go on giving examples: Beatrice Gakuba of Rwanda, who opened up a flower business and is now exporting to the Dutch auction in Amsterdam each morning and is employing 200 other women and men to work with her. However, many of these are starved for capital to expand, because nobody believes outside of our countries that we can do what is necessary. Nobody thinks in terms of a market. Nobody thinks there's opportunity. But I'm standing here saying that those who miss the boat now, will miss it forever.
Wanawake wana juhudi, wako makini; wanachapa kazi. Naweza kuendelea kwa kutoa mifano: Beatrice Gakuba wa Rwanda, alifungua biashara ya maua na sasa anayasafirisha kwenye mnada wa udachi huko Amsterdam kila asubuhi, na ameajiri wanawake na wanaume takriban 200 kumsaidia kazi. Hata hivyo, wengi wao, wana kiu ya kupata mtaji wa kupanua biashara zao, kwasababu hakuna anayeamini nje ya nchi zetu tunaweza kufanya mambo ya maana. Hakuna mtu anayefikiria kwa mtazamo wa masoko. Hakuna anyefikiria kuna fursa Nimesimama hapa kuwaambia wale waliochelewa jahazi kwa sasa, watalikosa milele.
So if you want to be in Africa, think about investing. Think about the Beatrices, think about the Adenikes of this world, who are doing incredible things, that are bringing them into the global economy, whilst at the same time making sure that their fellow men and women are employed, and that the children in those households get educated because their parents are earning adequate income.
Kwa hiyo iwapo unataka kuwa Afrika, fikiria kuwekeza. Wafikirie akina Beatrice, wafikirie kina Adenike wa dunia hii. ambao wanafanya mambo makubwa ambayo yanawasogeza katika uchumi wa dunia, wakati huo huo wakihakikisha wanawake wenzao na wanaume wanapata ajira. na kwamba watoto katika familia hizo wanapata elimu kwa sababu wazazi wao wanapata kipato cha kuridhisha
So I invite you to explore the opportunities. When you go to Tanzania, listen carefully, because I'm sure you will hear of the various openings that there will be for you to get involved in something that will do good for the continent, for the people and for yourselves.
Kwa hiyo nina wakaribisha kuja kutafuta fursa Mtakapo kwenda Tanzania, sikilizeni kwa makini, kwasababu nina hakika mtasikia kuhusu fursa mbalimbali zilizopo ili muweze kushiriki katika kufanya mambo mazuri kwa bara hili, kwa watu wake na kwenu wenyewe
Thank you very much. (Applause)
Asanteni sana. (Makofi)