Systemic risks are factors that threaten not only individual countries themselves but also the whole global system. Africa is the scene of numerous systemic risks that must be overcome for the sake of both Africa's own development, and global security and prosperity. Infectious diseases like AIDS, disputes surrounding the distribution of natural resources, and the problems of heavily indebted countries can be cited as examples of systemic risks.

It was with these considerations in mind that African countries and developed nations jointly drew up the New Partnership for African Development. The NEPAD partners have already more or less agreed on and begun to implement several strategies to achieve the goals of this partnership, including cooperating on conflict resolution, resolving the problems of heavily indebted countries, increasing official development assistance, adopting an international strategy on human welfare, improving access to pharmaceutical products to counter infectious diseases, securing fair trading conditions for developing countries within the World Trade Organization, improving the investment climate in Africa and cooperating on United Nations reform.

These strategies, of course, must be carried through and, perhaps, intensified. But we must also look at the other side of the coin. We must see Africa not only as a continent of problems to be solved but also as a land of good examples.