"Participation Builds Unity"
"MADE IN AFRICA - FOR AFRICA"
"Participation Builds Unity"
"MADE IN AFRICA - FOR AFRICA"
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Africa needs to accelerate the pace of integration
By Thapelo SAKOANA
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BuaNews - 25 June 2006
Africa needs to accelerate the pace of integration across all spectrums if it is to successfully address its challenges.
This was said by the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Professor Alpha Omar Konare yesterday in his public lecture at the University of South Africa (UNISA) titled: Confronting the Challenges Facing Africa.
Hosted by the university’s programme on African Intellectuals and the Department of Foreign Affairs, the former President of Mali detailed his views on the challenges facing Africa, saying it was important for the continent’s intellectuals to debate these issues.
Prof Konare said for the continent to emerge victorious, its leaders had to decide if these challenges should be confronted separately or collectively.
“Since the majority view is that collective action is the preferred option, what should be the model and the pace of Africa’s integration?
“The answers to these questions must be found on an urgent basis, because time is running out against us,” he said.
Characterised by widespread poverty, high levels of unemployment especially among youth as well as endemic diseases, the continent currently has the weakest social indicators in the world.
Prof Konare cited South Africa as the largest economy in the continent but still faced challenges of unemployment and poverty.
In this context, he said if the countries acted together in addressing their challenges, most of which were common, Africa would triumph.
The continent could not be competitive in the global economy before achieving its own economic and monetary integration, he added.
The AU, he explained, considered regional integration as critical for the transformation and modernisation of African economies although the process was not moving rapidly due to the need for co-ordination and harmonisation of policies.
“These difficulties are exacerbated by the fact that some countries continue to be members of different regional economic communities.
“We must therefore address the issue of overlapping memberships and try to rationalise the communities presently recognised by the AU.”
Prof Konare said African leaders should also support the creation of networks that would facilitate free movement of goods, services and people in the continent.
In this regard, he said the AU welcomed the recent establishment of the international infrastructure consortium, the World Bank as well as the African Development Bank.
“As we continue to pursue the objective of establishing the United States of Africa in the long run, it is important to find an arrangement that will enable us to improve the co-ordination and harmonisation of Africa’s position in some key areas of policy making.”
He said he personally advocated the model of integration that would identify policy areas to be co-ordinated and supervised by the continental “executive body”.
This, he explained, required the short to medium term transformation of the current AU Commission into such an “executive body”.
To further strengthen the continent’s social and political stability, he said African leaders should take steps in protecting the rights of minority groups in all countries.
“We cannot envisage a meaningful political union in Africa as long as tensions persist between different ethnic or religious groups within individual countries,” he said, adding that unity and tolerance among Africans were important for the continent to attain economic and political prosperity.
“We should consider ethnic and cultural diversity as our strengths,” said Prof Konare.
Some panel members at the lecture asked Prof Konare if he hoped the disarmed forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) would accept the outcome of the forthcoming elections in that country.
Prof Konare said his commission was concerned about the situation but would ensure that elections proceeded without hindrances.
“There is a need to ensure that the quality of the elections is not compromised. Already there has been some positive development prior to the elections – which include the distribution of Identity Documents to the people – this had not happened for years,” he said.
He also emphasised a need for the elections to take place in a peaceful environment and the presence of international observers in order to ascertain that the process would be free and fair.
Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said Africa’s challenges could also be addressed if more women were brought on board.
“Because you cannot exclude half of your population [women] in dealing with these challenges and therefore think that you will be successful,” she said.
BuaNews
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