September 29, 2006

I think one of the most disturbing commentaries on government in Cameroon, and this probably goes for much of Africa and parts of Asia and Latin America, came yesterday from a World Bank official I went to interview about debt relief.

We were talking about whether debt relief could work. Cameroon recently qualified for the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, which means that billions of dollars were written off with the intention that the money the government would have paid to lenders like the World Bank and IMF instead goes toward development in Cameroon.

After we went around in a circle about whether Cameroon’s sticky-fingered government would make sure that the money goes where it’s supposed to (the short answer is that even with the many strings attached to HiPC, there are still major black holes that could suck in the money. World Bank Guy says they’re working with Cameroon’s authorities on improving monitoring, but I wouldn’t hold my breath), we got down to the real stuff.

In the end, all the debt relief in the world doesn’t matter if the people in charge waste all of their time fighting each other, and if their main concern is walking away from government with heavy pockets, he said. World Bank Guy drew a circle, and inside that circle he drew several smaller circles. The big circle represented the government, the smaller one the ministers and other officials. He then drew lines going in every direction, connecting each of the circles. But the lines weren’t bonds – they were arrows.

The government, my interview subject said, wastes all of its energy defending their small, petty interests and trying to get a step ahead of the other ministers. Since there’s a finite amount of energy, none of that wasted energy makes it out to the people. That means no money or services.

To make it even clearer, this international banker had a meeting with Cameroon’s minister of health to plan for the upcoming budget. “What are your priorities?” the banker asked.

“I want to be minister of finance,” the health minister is reported to have replied.

“But what do you want to do with the health ministry?”

The minister said, and I’m paraphrasing here, he wants to get money. That could be taken two ways, and I’ll take it badly.

Now, let’s say that rather than lust after Polycarpe Abah Abah’s job (there’s that name again) and play all sorts of medieval parlor games and backstabbing politics, the health minister actually used his energy to do his actual job. The Cameroonian health system might actually exist outside of the cities and a few charity hospitals run by the church and other donors.

I hope you noted that I said this disturbed me. I did not say it surprised me.

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Surprise! Evan doubts the conventional Africa wisdom. I’m not sure that debt relief is going to work. On its surface, it sounds like a great idea and makes a fabulous sound bite for campaigners. But it’s far more complicated than a bumper sticker or even Bono make it.

And it’s not just because of the above reason, although that’s enough. A study by the CATO Institute (what is happening to me) showed that when Uganda reached the HiPC Completion Point and had its debt relieved, the country actually accrued far more debt than it had before its debt was relieved. Because their credit rating went up, the government was able to borrow money from other places (private banks, etc.) for things like guns and tanks, which government donors usually won’t contribute towards. Even the World Bank Guy said it takes a lot of discipline on the part of governments not to abuse these newly discovered revenue streams. He ducked when I asked whether Cameroon’s government had that discipline.

There’s another issue that seems unjust to me. There are accountable governments who do not ring up ludicrous debts. Shouldn’t they benefit before the guys here and in Uganda? Shouldn’t there be a reward for managing your economy well, and punishment for not doing so? Maybe instead of getting bad governments off the hook, they should instead be held responsible by their people.

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So, how do I watch what goes on around me without going bonkers? To paraphrase Frank Drebin from “The Naked Gun”: I think about hockey.

My fantasy draft is tomorrow. I’m sure no one out there cares who I have on my team, but I will give regular updates on the status of the Yaoundé Rangers of the Traverse City Ice League.

I also go out to for an omelet near a school. It’s for the little fellas, so school gets out at around 1 p.m. Parents line up and pick up the kids in their blue smock uniforms, and then the kids and their parents mob Yaoundé smartest ice cream man, who wheels his cart to the school’s gates when he sees the parents gathering.

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One last thing before shutting down for the weekend.

Bec and I were listening to the BBC Africa morning show today, and they had a piece about the importance of camels in nomadic Somaliland. Along with dowries and payment, camels are also handed out to compensate for redress.

A man went through some of the prices. A chopped off ear or finger is worth five camels. Chopping off a testicle will cost you 50.

Rebecca was surprised at the price differential.