Africa’s future is up to Africans, Obama said, and here is wonderful excerpt:

It is easy to point fingers, and to pin the blame for [Africa’s problems] on others. Yes, a colonial map that made little sense bred conflict, and the West has often approached Africa as a patron, rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants. In my father’s life, it was partly tribalism and patronage in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is a daily fact of life for far too many.

Of course, we also know that is not the whole story. Here in Ghana, you show us a face of Africa that is too often overlooked by a world that sees only tragedy or the need for charity. The people of Ghana have worked hard to put democracy on a firmer footing, with peaceful transfers of power even in the wake of closely contested elections. And with improved governance and an emerging civil society, Ghana’s economy has shown impressive rates of growth.

This progress may lack the drama of the 20th century’s liberation struggles, but make no mistake: it will ultimately be more significant. For just as it is important to emerge from the control of another nation, it is even more important to build one’s own.

So I believe that this moment is just as promising for Ghana - and for Africa - as the moment when my father came of age and new nations were being born. This is a new moment of promise. Only this time, we have learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa’s future. Instead, it will be you - the men and women in Ghana’s Parliament, and the people you represent. Above all, it will be the young people - brimming with talent and energy and hope - who can claim the future that so many in my father’s generation never found.

To realize that promise, we must first recognize a fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: development depends upon good governance. That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa’s potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans.

As for America and the West, our commitment must be measured by more than just the dollars we spend. I have pledged substantial increases in our foreign assistance, which is in Africa’s interest and America’s. But the true sign of success is not whether we are a source of aid that helps people scrape by - it is whether we are partners in building the capacity for transformational change.

This mutual responsibility must be the foundation of our partnership.

Well said Mr. President.  Let’s hope that it’s more than just rhetoric.

It’s an important step forward for several African nations and truly something to build on.

According to the report 32% of the people living in sub-Saharan Africa will go hungry in 2009.  That represents the highest rate of any place on earth.

It is an extraordinary statement about how deep and pervasive the culture of violence is in a nation that, for so long, lived on fear.

More about this soon…

Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir came, unsurprisingly, in second place.  Further down the listIsayas Afewerki, Eritrea’s dictator who has shown little interest in democratic elections, ranked eight. 

One of the more interesting, and surprising, aspects of Parade’s lists is the section on US-involvement with each nation.  There are some surprising facts here.

But this cannot be what Tsvangirai and most of his supporters imagined would happen when they began the struggle against Mugabe’s ruthless and tyrannical rule many years ago. The last thing that they wanted to see was Tsvangirai being sworn into Mugabe’s government. Tsvangirai asserts that he will be able to do more for Zimbabwe inside of Mugabe’s government rather than fighting against it. Let’s hope that he’s right.

It seems more likely, however, that Mugabe has Tsvangirai right where he wants him—his former foe is now an emasculated ‘leader’ within Mugabe’s own realm. Wasn’t it Sun Tzu who said ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’?

It will be interesting to see if this new governmental arrangement results in any noticeable improvement in the lives of Zimbabweans. It’s hard to image things getting any worse but that’s what we thought a few years ago when, by comparison to today, Zimbabwe looked like paradise.

Even the venerable patriarch of African leadership Nelson Mandela spoke out about Mugabe’s ‘failure of leadership,’ not an easy thing for a fellow member of Africa’s liberation generation to do.  And world leaders seem to be falling all over themselves over the past few days to condemn Mugabe for his latest actions.

It seems impossible at this point that even Robert Mugabe could maintain his grip on power in Zimbabwe under such mounting pressure.  It is only a matter of time before the old man finally—mercifully—fades away.

And it couldn’t happen a moment too soon.