From T-shirts and hats to the sides of buses and buildings, the face of President Barack Obama is ubiquitous throughout Africa. So too are the expectations of what his administration can do for the continent, said former Botswana President Festus Mogae, speaking April 7 in G10 Biotech Building as part of the Institute for African Development's Special Speaker Series.

"Africans are acutely aware of the constraints under which any American president operates," said Mogae, who served as president from 1998 to 2008, as vice president (1992-98) and in posts at the International Monetary Fund and Bank of Botswana. "Nevertheless, Africans expect a great deal of President Obama for the simple reason that we consider him part of our kith and kin."

Obama, whose father is from Kenya, must first attend to the needs of the American people, said Mogae, who is largely credited for Botswana being a model of democracy and good governance in Africa. However, he called upon Obama to create a special fund for developing countries to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. This fund would function "to compensate Africa for foregoing the use of its own natural resources, such as coal, and also for suffering the worst consequences of climate change, such as drought, food and water shortages, high temperatures and sinking coastal areas," he said.

Mogae said Africans also expect pro-democratization initiatives. "If America believes democracy is good for Africa, then it should put its money where its mouth is," he said.

The former president noted that Africa is encouraged by the steps Obama has taken already to resolve the current credit crunch. Regarding Obama's focus on helping families retain their homes, he commented, "This is ethical leadership, which can be expected from a man of his background." He also called for more regulation and transparency of financial institutions around the world by leaders of developed nations.

Mogae also argued that the Obama administration should discontinue subsidies for agriculture because they destroy market values and create unfair competition. He described this as an affordable sacrifice because African countries lack the mechanization and large-scale operations shared by developed countries, and thus would not pose the threat of competition.

Africa should also be allowed to add value to the raw materials it exports, Mogae stressed. "We want to export chocolate, not just cocoa. We want to export coffee and tea, not just unprocessed beans and leaves, and polished diamonds and jewelry, not just uncut rough diamonds."

Lauren McHugh '10 is a writer intern with the Cornell Chronicle.