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Africa |
INTERN.ORG.
The transformation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) into an African
Union (AU)
is probably the greatest thing that has ever happened to Africa
in a very long time
Following its 37th and final summit held in Lusaka, Zambia, during July, the OAU officially disappeared, having voted itself out of existence. In its place, an African Union (AU) was born. Modelled along the lines of the European Union, the AU will have its own central bank, parliament and a court of justice.
This development has been described by the founding fathers as a political leap forward, despite a lot of structural defects that can militate against this noble development. Compared to its model the European Union, which had everything going for it, the AU‘s founding fathers admit that a great deal of work still has to be done for the Union.
Many questions, too, have been raised. For example, critics ask whether the so-called African Union is not merely an OAU under a different name? What difference will the Union make in solving the myriad of problems — debt, poverty, AIDS, disasters presently plaguing the continent?
There are also, a number of economic considerations that might work against the Union.
The Union — urgent and necessary
Dr Norman Mlambo is a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe’s department of economic history and a researcher. He says the current economic and social crisis in Africa, makes an African Union urgent and very necessary. Africa has already achieved the political self-determination that is necessary to achieve what it wants. «The real danger», he adds, «lies in the continent being swallowed up by globalisation. Therefore, the AU should be able to propound and put into practice an African economic plan of action for the survival of its economies».
Several economic initiatives that have been put into place in the past, have largely failed to work in Africa. Presently, five African leaders are pushing for a pan-African plan to give new impetus to the continent’s development. Hope for change now lies in merging the Millennium African Recovery Programme led by Thabo Mbeki, and the Omega Plan, which is being spearheaded by Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade. As Wade said, «there was a time when we could afford the choice of fragmentation, not today».
The United Nations Secretary-General, Koffi Annan, hailed the foundation of the AU, but hastened to add that such an undertaking requires political will, leadership, courage and living in the future, if Africa is to emulate what Europe had done.
The fact is, there are many, almost insurmountable challenges facing the Union, as the OAU becomes the AU.
Dr Mlambo says: «There are problems of vertical integration of economies as a result of colonial ties. But also the structural characteristics of African countries and the skewed bilateral arrangements with the developed countries, inhibit the deep integration of African countries. Many African countries economies still produce and export primary raw materials. The continent has virtually failed to industrialise. The question has always been how to deal with a group of countries that all produce similar primary goods. Also, there other problems such as language barriers, existing regional groupings, weak financial institutions, faulty integration strategies, debt, pressing national economic questions etc, problems that all militate against the Union.
Yet, the consensus is there for an African Union.
Cote d’Ivoire’s former foreign minister, Essy Amara, heads the new African Union, following his election at the OAU‘s last summit in July. He took over from Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania, who was the OAU‘s secretary-general for 12 years.
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