The U2 concert had everyone in the Spartan community talking — but not just about rock and roll. Michigan State University gathered nearly 50 scholars and international leaders, rockstars in their own right, at the Kellogg Center Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26, for the Midwest Summit on African Development. (http://isp.msu.edu/midwest-summit/)

On June 25 the group assembled to talk about their mutual and overlapping roles to fight poverty and hunger in Africa.

“Although rich in natural resources and arable land, Africa’s economic performance has been rather disappointing,” said James Pritchett, director of MSU’s African Studies Center (http://africa.isp.msu.edu). “Its rate of growth has not kept pace with the expanding global economy. Improvements in Africa's social indices pertaining to rates of poverty alleviation, food security, education, gender equality, health and environmental sustainability have defied even the well publicized efforts of the UN Millennium Campaign (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/).”

The summit aimed to further discussion about universities’ investment and capture new voices and new ideas for African development. Among those present at the summit were African ambassadors, government agency workers and university representatives.

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon (http://president.msu.edu/)told a town hall crowd of nearly 200 that work on African development isn’t about a single project. “This is about a relationship, and a big vision about how we can be part of a profound change that would benefit others, that is directed by them,” she said.

Former foreign correspondent from the Wall Street Journal and town hall moderator Roger Thurow (http://enoughthebook.com/)asked the attendees to not squander this moment of great opportunity.

“We have this moment because from the first minutes in office the Obama administration made ending hunger through agriculture (http://www.feedthefuture.gov/)one of its top foreign policies,” Thurow said.
Key development methods discussed were education, good governance and improved understanding.

Agriculture, food and resource economics professor emeritus at MSU John Staatz said one of the ways to prevent African poverty is through improved education.

He said that as the average age of farmers in Africa is 50, the African youth are “the missing generation” in African agriculture. He described it as a big job to develop the curricula, and outreach necessary for more sustainability.

“I’d like to put the role of university in the context, not of U.S. universities helping advance development in Africa, but rather international scientific partnerships,” Staatz said.

Addressing the importance of good governance, Kenyan ambassador to the United States (http://kenyaembassy.com/)Elkanah Odembo talked about recent elections across the continent and creation of a brand new constitution in Kenya.

“I think the reason why it’s happening is that there is a middle class that is growing, there are citizen organizations that have grown, a public sector that has decided they want to be a part of this,” Odembo said.

During a question-and-answer session one woman, who identified herself as a farmer from Zimbabwe named Jane, spoke about the need for better education and extension services.
“We are using old techniques yet things are changing,” Jane said. “I used to know that by putting my seeds in the ground on October 15 I could produce enough food for my children. That isn’t true anymore.”

Jane said women in Africa do not want a handout.

“We want to be empowered,” she said. “We to want produce these things ourselves. It makes you feel good.”

Attendees of the Summit also discussed the progress in development that Africa has made and the growth that can already be seen, despite reports of countries like the Ivory Coast, Somalia or Darfur that appear often in news and political conversation.

Chief Economist for the United States Agency for International Development Steven Radelet said in the United States we are familiar with the news of the these countries, but are missing the changes for good that are happening in Africa.

“We are missing the big story that is happening across many countries --a change towards democracy, towards economic growth, investment, better governance, improved health and education,” Radelet said.

“There is a perception that for all the foreign assistance, that there has been no change in Sub-Saharan Africa. The fact is that 20 years ago there were three democracies in Sub-Saharan Africa now there are over twenty. It is the first time in the history that so many low-income countries have moved towards democracy.”