world ..... • • I ..... ... .. ...... ..... .. r3ciitco at ,11 Intorvrry ur or ticaii rt y . '`.;• • ■ •• - new investments, Israel again is looking to Africa. T Dina Kraft Jewish Telegraphic Agency Herzliya, Israel S oon after Israel itself was born, it began investing significant resources in development assis- tance in Africa. Israel's official development work there waned over the decades, but in recent years Africa again has become a target for Israeli development work by non- profit organizations and corporations. Particularly in areas like water resource management, agriculture, renewable energy, infrastructure and telemedicine, experts say Israel has much to offer the developing continent. "In the same way we are a high-tech power, we can become a development tech power because our problems are their problems and our expertise fits their needs:' said Aliza Belman Inbal of Tel Aviv University's Hartog School of Government and Policy. New thinking is beginning to take root that it is in Israel's interest both economi- cally and as a tool to boost its interna- tional standing to again look toward Africa. "So many things we do are so relevant for these countries:' she said. "We have the capacity to help Africa in ways other countries cannot and to help build a posi- 24 June 16 . 2011 tive agenda to show Israel can offer good to the world." Early Israeli leaders such as Golda Meir had dispatched agricultural and other experts across Africa in a policy that mixed altruism with the hope that newly independent African states might become staunch allies. The renewed interest of Israeli humani- tarians, businesspeople and govern- ment officials in Africa can be seen in Israeli medical missions that have gone to the furthest reaches of war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo and busi- ness pouring resources into developing Africa's booming cellular phone market, which is the fastest growing in the world. Small nongovernmental organiza- tions are getting involved, like Jewish Heart for Africa, which introduced Israeli solar technologies to produce electric- ity in orphanages, schools and clinics in Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi. "Israelis really do like to share their know-how, and we believe in helping build African communities:' said Shachar Zahavi, executive director of IsraAID, a consortium of Israeli and Jewish aid orga- nizations that work in developing coun- tries, including those like Japan and Haiti that require disaster assistance. "We are seeing a younger generation of Israelis who, during their post-army travels, want to do something meaningful with their time abroad:' Zahavi said. "At the same time, we are seeing more and more companies looking to build and adapt their products for the developing world." On May 29, several hundred people gathered in Herzliya for an IsraAID- organized conference on Israeli involve- ment in Africa. Bob Geldof, the Irish rock singer who staged the 1985 Live Aid concert for famine relief in Africa and its 2005 counterpart advocating for debt relief, delivered the keynote address. "It's a great thing you are doing today because the world knows that this region is convulsed in its own problems:' Geldof said. In his speech, he urged Israel not to use the Israeli-Arab conflict as an excuse to refrain from engaging in the develop- ing world. "The Jewish people for centuries have used their intellect and culture to be open — that's what you guys de said Geldof, who had a Jewish grandmother. "Do not be forced from turning away from the world." Israel's development aid to Africa shrunk to its current low levels following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when most African states severed ties with Israel. That ended a period in which Israel sent some 5,000 experts in agriculture, water management and other fields throughout the developing world. Mashav, the Israeli government agency responsible for aid programs, was one of the largest departments in the Foreign Ministry in the 1960s, but its budget has Solar panels made with Israeli technology are being installed at the Natan School in Nawansekese Village, Uganda, as part of a project sponsored by Jewish Heart for Africa. shrunk drastically. Today, Israel gives markedly less in overseas aid according to gross national income than most of its counterparts in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Israel currently has relatively little trade targeted toward Africa. In 2010, Israeli exports to Africa, excluding diamonds, reached $1.3 billion, as compared to $8.4 billion to Asia or $12.7 billion to the United States, according to Dan Catarivas, director of the foreign trade division of the Israeli Manufacturers Association. But Africa's potential as one of the world's fastest-growing economic areas is beginning to attract the attention of Israeli and international firms. A recent report by McKinsey, the inter- national consulting firm, suggested that the future survival of global companies will depend on their ability to focus on what they term "innovation to win in low- cost, high-growth countries" like those found in Africa. According to McKinsey, in the next decade such emerging-market economies, now on the sidelines, will become central global economic players. Southern Friends on page 26