UPATE: ANNUAL CONFERENCE PATTERSON SCHOOL OF DIPLOMACY AND INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE BEGINS.
FIRST DAY BEGINS:
WITH DR STEVEN RADELET
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
KEY NOTE SPEAKER
OCT 27TH 2016.
SECOND DAY.
SECOND DAY AT THE HYATT REGENCY IN LEXINGTON KENTUCKY USA.
Facilitator: Gregory Hall, Patterson School.
Guest speakers are:
Ambassador Robinson Githae,Ambassador of Kenya to the USA.
Ambassador George Staples, United Foreign Service rtd.
Ambassador Essa Bokarr Sey, former Gambian Ambassador to the USA.
See photo with key note speaker Professor Radelet,of Georgetown University Ambassador Githae of Kenya and myself.
The entire conference is geared towards exposing Africa with its potentials,increase awareness on the continent as an emerging market.
Attached is the entire speech and photos.
ESSA BOKARR SEY’S SPEECH AT PATTERSON SCHOOL OF DIPLOMACY AND INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE COMMERCE LEXINGTON KENTUCKY USA CONFERENCE ON OCTOBER 27/28 2016.
Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen.
My name is Essa Bokarr Sey, I am a Gambian born US citizen and former Ambassador of the Gambia to France, Republic of China on Taiwan and USA respectively.
Today I am charged with the responsibility to speak on DIPLOMACY. I will therfore be drawing my points from past experience then match those with what is current. Most of it will be pegged on TRADE and SECURITY.
To that effect, I am going to combine the following words and then turn them into a “compass” as we proceed.
They are:
1-INTEREST,
2-RECIPROCITY and
3-MUTUAL BENEFITS.
With these words in mind, a diplomat can definitely be confident enough to say that he or she is ready to sell the potentials of his country alongside search for potentials in the host country.
There is where mutual interest or benefits will have a much better meaning. Indeed for an Ambassador representing his or her country or society, it would be scaled down to bilateral relations. Which naturally would become the most immediate lane to drive on. On the other hand though, multilateral relations are an expansion or one can see it as that diplomatic highway with many lanes. The very reason why multilateral relations in most cases do accommodate activities of institutions like the United Nations or other aspects and matters treated at the level of G8 or
G20 not excluding WTO.
Now that said, let us see where West Africa or Sub Saharan African countries fit into the former as far as relations with a potential partner like the USA is concerned.
Example, when AGOA Africa Growth Opportunity Act was put into motion in the year 2000 diplomats saw it as a framework, structure or tool facilitating their daily functions along the Washington DC beltway of networking. ActIon oriented meetings like those organized by cooperate council for Africa in 2003 were springboards for development in that regard. Or at best one can see AGOA as a bill that was introduced to open up doors especially for those whose activities are geared towards building vibrant economies within a tolerant and democratic society. Eligibility for AGOA is based on good governance, respecting the rule of law and human rights. Lets also say SME Small Medium Enterprises from the other side of the Atlantic accessing the US market is an opportunity for smaller countries who find it hard to get their share at the WTO World Trade Organization. AGOA in the positive mind of a highly motivated individual or diplomat can be seen as follows. That is to say, promoting democracy by using another strategy different from those with strings attached. Without any doubt in my mind for least developed countries like my country origin, AGOA is that incentive meant to motivate trade relations. Ultimately it can serve as a stimulant for countries that are maintaining a steady course towards democracy. Here I mean putting in place a system that is suported by constitutions, transparency, accoutability but not those that are more after form than substance. As soon as people can choose their leaders and hold them accountable means democracy is being nourished or nurtured for now and in the future. In fact if Africa wants to be the second USA on the geopolitical arena, good governance must be the platform to stand on. Exactly as President Obama said it in Ghana more then seven years ago. “Africa does not need strong leaders, Africa needs strong institutions”. I could not agree more with dear brother Barack. To stretch it further I would add this to what he said as referenced earlier. I would say Africa equally needs constitutions that are not meant to maintain cliches or unsavoury regimes in power. Maintaining those instutions within checks and balances is a better assurance than anything else, to begin with.
AGOA can also facilitate it for USA SMEs or giants like the cooperate world to tap into what we on the other side of Atlantic have to offer in terms of business opportunities, job opportunities for people in Africa and US citizens, it is a win-win situation.
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I remember while serving as Ambassador in Washington DC when we had what was called “BUSINESS INCUBATORS” at PG county in Maryland. A program we put in place in collaboration with PG county officials. It was a 2 weeks orientation where local businessmen from Gambia could come to study or explore the US market. The entire program was at no cost to the guest, it was sponsored by the county as an incentive or motivation for Gambian businessmen in particular and West African business men at large. It definitely paid off because the program changed the perception of local businessmen on the ground. Especially those who preferred traveling to China and Dubai to buy their merchandize. It is closer and cheaper for a businessman to trade with USA in terms of air tickets etc but for some reason other the other they take the bigger risk. For me that means two things. An old perception about Africa remains in the minds of those who still see it a continent of diseases,wars and a place where stories of horror keep streaming from. That version of Africa is fallacious, it is without doubt stemming from ignorance not facts.
At this juncture, security comes into the equation because countries like ours live within a sub region where there are terrorist organizations like BOKOHARAM. Sincerely speaking here I will underpin the need for the USA to engage west Africans in that regard. Over concentrating on the middle east while West Africa remains a cake powder, is not strategic anymore. We must come to terms with reality thus accept the fact that the threat is closer to home than we think it is. All parties combined can use business relations, diplomacy and intelligence gathering to reduce the threat of terrorism in our part of the world. My Father used to tell me this: “Essa, no one hates peace, the thing is those who embrace the opposite of it have not eaten peace to their satisfaction yet”. Philosophically speaking I believe cutting off the terminal bud would be more strategic than leaving it turn into a bitter fruit. Security is the best structure within which, trade relations can be expected to expand with lesser risks. Remember West Africa is closer to the USA than the middle East. Also bear in mind that proximity makes trade easier but at the same time reassuring society that security measures are in place would be one of the fastest ways to alay fears from the minds of travelers, investors or business partners. Particularly those who genuinely intend to discover what West Africa can offer them. Unfortunately though, there are those who usually depend on misleading word of mouth, National geographic or other negative propaganda when they want to know something about Africa. Parties like the latter are the very reason why Africans especially diplomats must be ready to assume the role of sales agents of the continent. Sellers do break the ice. We all know when the ice is broken dialogue is guaranteed, where dialogue is guaranteed means communication has began. I
Indeed communication means development. Promoting business to business relations is the best guarantee for both sides to discover the positive side on both ends. When the private sector rises and becomes stronger people to people relations will be strengthened for the common good. The latter will be another way of ejecting dictators from the continent. There is an African proverb which says MUTUAL BENEFITS STRENGTHEN FRIENDSHIP once people are interwoven within common interest means the survival of a dictator is almost non existent. Another one a Ghanaian proverb for that matter says:NO ONE WILL POINT AT HIS FATHER’S HUT WITH THE LEFT HAND.
As that would be a bad omen, which also means reducing one’s family’s luck. By that I mean as soon as poverty is reduced, the job market is opened, farms are producing, factories are processing there will be lesser and lesser compelling social forces. I am someone who strongly believes that economic or trade relations will make both parties respect each other’s assets or properties. Where benefits and interest are mutual there will be lesser destruction within a healthy environment. Airlines, cargo liners, import/ export activities when they bind two societies together means mutual interest will turn into an effective weapon against any threat, be it internal or external. From all sides and all angles people will do all they can to safeguard that very mutual interest and benefit.
For example right at this moment there are three areas investors can look into in our part of the world:
1-Recylcing.
2-Cleansing services.
3-Airline industry because presently SA Airline dominates the New York West Africa route via Dakar, Senegal.
4-Canoes or fishing boats is another good business because most of the tree our parents or grand parents used for making fishing canoes are no more. Therefore getting an investor who will look into the production of Fiber boats is a lucrative business.
Not only that the gulf of Guinea has hydrocarbon deposits, to be more precise oil in Africa. Can we drill the oil all by ourselves? Not really, therefore that partner who can bring the machinery to do it is definitely needed. Ghana has started exploring oil, Senegal is about to start drilling it’s share from nature. We as partners with machines that feed on oil should find a common ground thus promote trade and economic growth. Which I believe is one of the best weapons against terrorism.