Swiss Development Agency tries to sell positive images of Africa

The Swiss public's image of Africa is distorted and too negative, according to the Swiss Development Agency. At its annual news conference in Berne, the agency said it would work on trying to improve the way the continent is viewed.

The Swiss public’s image of Africa is distorted and too negative, according to the Swiss Development Agency. At its annual news conference in Berne, the agency said it would work on trying to improve the way the continent is viewed.

The agency’s director, Walter Fust, said the Swiss public had a warped outlook on Africa. He said that, just as Europe is not Kosovo or Bosnia-Herzegovina, Africa is not the Congo or Sudan.

Fust said it was important for the public and decision-makers not to give up on Africa because they think the continent is a lost cause. He said that for every item of bad news from Africa, there is an offsetting positive development to which the public’s attention should also be drawn.

As examples, he cited countries which have held free elections for the first time, those which are experiencing economic growth and regions where there has been a reduction in famine.

He said most of the progress is being made at the grassroots level. The only problem is that they’re not as visible as the stories of catastrophes and conflicts making the headlines in the international media.

Fust also said that as long as crises can be kept at bay within countries, then the progress being made is sustainable. The Swiss Development Agency concentrates its activities in Africa on 10 countries and allocates about SFr150 million a year to development cooperation programmes.

By Paul Sufrin