Metaglossia: The Translation World

While acknowledging the strides that multilateral ties with the West have enabled African countries to make, no one can deny the fact that Africans themselves through South-South cooperation have underestimated what could help in transforming their economic, social, and cultural environments. Take the basic example of food sufficiency. Several demonstrations have been made on how African countries could gain so much by working among themselves in solving such problems. The 'Africa 21 Yaounde International Conference on New Challenges' on Africa convened by President Paul Biya from May 17-19, 2010 to mark the 50th anniversary of the independence of Cameroon pointed out in the ensuing Yaounde Declaration; "Their faith in Africa's ability to generate innovation and progress based on its human values, the strength of its youth, its soils and subsoil." It was not therefore fortuitous that the African Union Summit of Heads of State that took place in Addis Ababa early in 2011 adopted the 'Yaounde Declaration' as its working document.

Equatorial Guinea is now open to Cameroon, offering a golden platter from which Cameroonian authorities can best serve their people by sharing technical know-how with Equatorial Guinea. A similar exchange conduit is also being presented to Cameroon by Morocco.

Most Asian countries that are today being hailed globally as models have invariably progressed thanks to their own entrepreneurship and the processing of their raw material rather than outside help. Outsourcing can therefore become preponderant only if it comes as an added value to a local environment that favours growth and progress, and not vice versa.