Future African leaders merit bipartisan support

All too often, U.S. policy in Africa is reactive.

When the Ebola epidemic ravaged West Africa last year, it became clear to U.S. policy makers and the broader American public that America had to respond. Turning our backs on Ebola’s devastation was simply not an option we could live with morally, and the chance that Ebola might eventually spread significantly to our own shores made it impossible to stand by and do nothing. 

{mosads}When Boko Haram in Nigeria and Al Shabaab in East Africa kill innocent civilians and spread terrorism and extremist ideologies across the Continent, it is clear to U.S. policy makers that groups like these imperil the stability of whole regions as well as U.S. interests.

Reasonable minds do and probably always will disagree about whether or not America can continue to play the role of global “first responder,” sending our people, money and other resources to extinguish the fast-moving fires of conflict, natural disaster and poor governance. But that debate misses a much bigger and important point. 

While Americans will always have to remain responsive to urgent matters, as a matter of U.S. strategy it is more effective and less expensive to invest in helping African partner countries build and sustain their own social, health, economic and civil infrastructures to keep them from falling into crisis in the first place. This can best be done through strong and effective leadership. There is a clear bipartisan consensus that, over the long term, that’s the only way to reduce, if not entirely eliminate, America’s shorter-term role as the world’s emergency problem solver. 

As U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues from 2001 to 2005, I was part of the American response to help countries shattered by conflict.  I saw the consequences of poor local leadership and governance, inter-ethnic strife, and the murderous hate speech that springs up in fragile states.  As a result, I believe in efforts that are proactive and preventive in nature.  Not only are they more effective, they also save U.S. tax dollars. 

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a good example of a forward-looking, strategic investment helping African nations not only get ahead of crises but also in creating leadership that can build thriving economies and societies that can address challenges without external intervention. It is a program that reflects a long-standing American principle to investing in the potential of people to help their own communities.  It is a program that deserves continued bipartisan support. 

The depth and breadth of the program is significant; it includes about 1,000 promising and emerging young African leaders ages 25 – 35 representing every country in sub-Saharan Africa and a wide range of disciplines. This number is projected to double to 2,000 in 2016. In regular gatherings across Africa, at U.S. universities, and through a virtual network, the Fellows gain practical education, experience, and professional development that help them strengthen their economic and commercial sectors, governance, health systems and civil society.  

The Mandela Washington Fellowship program is an investment in people that serves American interests as well as Africans.  It benefits U.S. security by increasing stability.  It enhances economic development opportunities on the continent and builds confidence in a market for U.S. products and services. Major U.S. and international corporations have recognized this and are already investing in the program, working directly with Mandela Washington Fellows because they see the benefits not only for Africa, but for themselves, too. 

This week, 500 current fellows come together for the first time in Washington, D.C. They will meet senior U.S government officials and private sector leaders.  More importantly, they will share common experiences and build networks that will help them address social challenges, develop successful businesses, and serve their constituencies when they return home. 

It would be naïve to expect that America can completely excuse itself from responding to urgent human-made and naturally driven conflicts and crises in fragile states. But we can minimize that role if we do everything possible to groom new leaders – through strategic, proactive efforts with bipartisan support – who will act to stop conflicts and crises before they erupt.  

Prosper, a lawyer in private practice, was U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues from 2001 to 2005. He is a member of the board of directors of IREX, which administers the U.S. government-funded Mandela Washington Fellowship.