THE AFRICAN UNION

“Unite we must. Without necessarily sacrificing our sovereignties, big or small, we can here and now forge a political union based on defence, foreign affairs and diplomacy, and a common citizenship, an African currency, an African monetary zone and an African central bank. We must unite in order to achieve the full liberation of our continent. We need a common defence system with African high command to ensure the stability and security of Africa… We will be mocking the hopes of our people if we show the slightest hesitation or delay in tackling realistically this question of African unity.”

 The words of one of Africa’s founding fathers, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, while addressing the gathering of African leaders which led to the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  What they missed however was the tacit realisation that without economic independence in an atmosphere of peace, political liberation is a mere declaration.      

Having achieved little in 40 years, ten years ago African leaders decided to rename the organisation from OAU to African Union (AU). Apart from being a clear imitation of the European Union (EU) acronym, it was nothing more than old wine in a new bottle. There was little in terms of reviewing the objectives and values of the organisation in a changing world where countries with better human capital and superior SciTech re-colonise those who possess abundant natural resources with little knowledge or will of how to make them count.  

 Our continent is in economic disarray. Trade and investment balance sheets among member nations are abysmal for the simple reason that individual countries prefer to open our doors to the West and Far East rather than open up collaboration amongst us. Genuine integration has eluded Mother Africa because African leaders have ignored cross-border collaboration, which would have engendered the spirit of protective mutual interest.   

      

We have failed to take responsibility. We have done close to nothing to transform the continent’s huge resources to economic growth and prosperity. We have continued to overlook capacity development and wealth creation by not properly funding education and building industries. Corrupt and in our quest for immediate gratification, we prefer to sell off our God-given commodities as commodities, only to buy them back in the form of finished products at premium prices, providing foreign businesses with employment, innovation and value added. We remain ignorant traders, buying back what we could have improved and sold in the first place providing technology and employment to our own.

We should seize this moment of the continent’s economic growth to rescue our people from poverty, disease, illiteracy and unemployment.  We are described as the world’s last unconquered frontier, but investment in Africa cannot be maximised if its leaders continue to plunder its resources. It is appalling that no African country is immune to receiving foreign aid, considering the vast resources available at every corner of our continent. History should have taught us that nothing is ever given for free!   

 The French government, through the intervention of its forces in Mali, was not embarking on a charitable mission when it reclaimed the country from the grip of insurgents. Mali is blessed with large deposits of uranium, whose mines power French military and energy needs. There was simply a symbiotic need for France to intervene in Mali. It is on this we-need-each-other basis that European economic integration is defined: Germany had to spearhead Greece’s bailout because the latter along with other EU nations provide a significant market for the former’s luxury goods, technology and machinery, while also serving their tourism and recreational needs and vice versa. It took two world wars for Europe to figure out that economic integration holds the key to political and economic stability; we should open up our eyes and learn from this.                 

The 20th century was about the colonialism of Africa.  Our leaders have still not thrown off the shackles of slavery and as a result, the 21st century is fast becoming that of economic colonisation. We must forge sustainable political unity built on economic inter-dependency or stand the risk of being re-colonised. Nothing portrays this more than the roof under which our leaders celebrated the AU at 50 in Addis Ababa; the building was donated by China, our emerging economic colonial masters!