Seemingly low-key but the visit of Ghanaian President John Kufuor to Egypt is a political landmark, writes Gamal Nkrumah John Agyekum Kufuor is perhaps Africa's most genuinely amiable president. One might not approve of his neo-liberal economic agenda or pro-Western posturing, but he is a down-to-earth, kindly sort of man. Quite frankly, he is a man after my own heart. Kufuor's two-day visit to Egypt comes at a most opportune moment. Ghana currently holds the rotating presidency of the African Union (AU), and it is in his capacity as the holder of Africa's top job that he comes to Cairo. He held talks with President Hosni Mubarak and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. The Ghanaian president wants to see Egypt fully involved in African political affairs, and more integrated into African economic life. He would like to see Egypt represented at the highest level at the forthcoming AU summit scheduled to be held in the Ghanaian capital Accra in July. Kufuor, like many of his counterparts south of the Sahara, want to feel a palpable sense of partnership with Egypt which seems missing at present. The Ghanaian leader is a great believer in the growing vigour of democracy in the African countries south of the Sahara. He is convinced that a robust opposition is important in a vibrant multi-party democracy. That is why he tolerates the often crude antics of the main Ghanaian opposition National Democratic Congress. North Africa has much to learn from the democratic process and experience of Africa south of the Sahara. And by sheer coincidence, Providence prescribed that a new Egyptian political party -- the National Democratic Front Party -- was approved on the eve of Kufuor's visit to Egypt. The self- effacing and diplomatic Ghanaian president would be the last to say that he has come to Cairo to preach democracy; however, there is no escaping the fact that Ghana's pluralistic example serves as an exemplary model in a part of the world where democracy is still fragile. Kufuor is a leader who quietly urges moderation. Ghana too is a paragon. But Africa is a continent grappling with many crises -- economic, political and social. At one historical point the relationship between Egypt and Ghana was exceptionally strong. Arab- African relations generally were deeper and more binding. The message emanating from Africa south of the Sahara seems to be that Cairo should concentrate less on what it would like the rest of Africa to do to accommodate Egyptian interests and more on what Egypt can do for the rest of Africa. And, make no mistake, a note of sourness has crept into African-Arab relations. There was a time when the vast majority of African countries severed diplomatic relations with Israel in solidarity with Arab countries and the Palestinian cause. Today, many African countries have re-established relations with Israel. African leaders north and south of the Sahara hold dear the idea of African unity, and Kufuor is no exception. It was after all Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah who was the greatest champion of African unity. Still, African leaders on the whole seem loath to promote it properly. It is not as if Egypt and Ghana have magically started to see the world alike. But, Kufuor as one of the chief pro-market democrats in Africa, and Mubarak as a voice of moderation have much in common, and had much to discuss during this visit. First of all, bolstering peacekeeping efforts on the African continent, and secondly, closer economic integration and cooperation. They surely must have approved of closer African collaboration since African unity has become conventional wisdom on both sides of the Sahara. Most of this is wide off the mark. The main challenge in Africa today is to pull the people out of their terrible poverty. Egypt, as a relatively more developed country in Africa, can play a vital role. Egyptian technical expertise in a wide variety of economic and social spheres, especially health and education is greatly prized in Africa south of the Sahara. Egypt is widely expected to offer more help on all these fronts. The biggest worry for the immediate future is that multi-party democracy cannot in itself alleviate, let alone eradicate, poverty in Africa. Indeed, many people in the continent are wondering if Western-style democracy is indeed a sideshow -- a kind of opium of the masses. So the main challenge of Kufuor's New Patriotic Party (NPP) is to prove that democracy works for the betterment of all, and not just a select few. The NPP and Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party are two very different political organisations, operating in two radically different political environments. Kufuor's visit to Egypt inadvertently highlights some of the political differences in outlook between not just Egypt and Ghana, but Africa north and south of the Sahara. But the visit also underlines the vital necessity of African countries inching closer together. The call for African- Arab solidarity has so far been patchy and prickly. This timely visit points to a new direction.
