This book is part of a study by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on future relations between Sweden and Africa. The outcome of this study was a white paper, presented by the Swedish Government to the Swedish Parliament in March 1998 on its African policy, based on a report entitled 'Partnership with Africa'. Listening attentively to African voices was of particular importance in the course of the review process leading to the white paper. In this connection two conferences were organised in which African invitees were the main participants. The first conference was organised by the Nordic Africa Institute in cooperation with the African Development Bank and resulted in the anthology A New Partnership for African Development - Issues and Parameters, published by the Nordic Africa Institute in May 1997.The second conference was held in Saltsjöbaden in June 1997 and this volume brings together a number of the papers which were commissioned to serve as background material to the debate that took place then. Examples of African reform work in four theme areas are dealt with:
Africa's democratic culture, including gender equality; security and conflict management.
Africa in the international economy.
Africa's aid dependency and prospects for changed relations between Africa and other countries.
Relations between Sweden and Africa - current situation and future potential, opened by two personal and engaged letters to 'My little brother Sweden from Your big sister Africa- written by Angela L. Ofori-Atta, lecturer at the University of Ghana Medical School.