Panel 22: The G8 and Africa: A Reckoning

For most of the first decade of the new millennium the Summits of the G8, at the pinnacle of world wealth and power, sustained an extraordinary level of focus on and engagement with the challenges facing Africa. Responding to African governments' proposed New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), G8 governments produced a succession of agreements and initiatives, anchored by the 2002 Africa Action Plan and the 2005 Gleneagles declaration on Africa and development but extending considerably beyond them. These initiatives and engagements were framed by a motif of "partnership", understood selectively. Now, as the G8 appears headed towards (possibly terminal) decline with the rise of the G20, it is appropriate to take stock of the legacies of this "African activism" as manifested in the policies of several G8 governments who, at different stages, played key orchestrating roles. How has the trajectory of their Africa policies been altered by their participation in this collective G8 effort? What have been the repercussions of these policies for African governments and people? How sustainable have these new directions been, particularly in light of the lingering global economic crisis? How have G8 governments interpreted the idea of "partnership" in relation to African governments and institutions? Finally, how are we to understand their policies theoretically? The participants in this panel will address these questions through several comparative case studies, including but not limited to Canada, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. Other case studies are welcome and encouraged.