ACBF Development Memoirs Series:

Making Regional Integration Work for Development Results in Africa – Amb. Vijay Makhan, former Assistant Secretary-General of OAU and Interim Commissioner, African Union Commission, shares his reflections through ACBF Senior Policymakers’ Knowledge Sharing Program.

Ambassador Vijay Makhan explaining a viewpoint during a discussion session with Dr. Kobena Hanson, Knowledge Management Officer, ACBF, at his residence in Mauritius.

It has been barely six years since the African Union (AU) was launched in Durban, South Africa – two years of interim operation, and four years since the first college of Commissioners was elected in Maputo (the two-year interim period being the transition from the OAU to AU). Now, the continent’s leadership is engaged in discussions in respect of the creation of a United States of Africa. However, what is it that Africans have achieved at the level of the AU that already gives us the assurance that we are ready to embark on the journey towards the United States of Africa?

If only Member States had applied themselves to implementing some of the decisions taken since the eighties, and authorities concerned had endeavored to translate the decisions taken collectively into concrete action, the continent would have recorded substantial progress along the integration path. But the problem lies in the fact that those who represent Member States at the meetings/conferences often speak from individual or national perspectives when addressing issues of regional integration.

There seems to be a lack of commitment to the idea. We display to the outside world a collective wisdom underpinned by lofty ideals and good intentions but which, to say the least, remain superficial. There exists a chasm between our collective wisdom and the way we approach such issues at national level. There is a kind of disconnect between the objectives, the implementation and the impact of regional integration. While the objectives of integration, as articulated in Treaties and Protocols, are laudable, they have not been effectively pursued and implemented. As a consequence, there is very little benefit on the ground that the common man can perceive as being a result of regional integration. We have for years been seen to be committing ourselves and therefore our peoples to the ideals of regional integration but progress along that path, if any at all, has been made at snail pace! Yet, there are a number of not too difficult first steps that our countries could take in the direction of integration. For example, could we not do away with entry visa for the citizens of the continent? After all, we are thirteen years down the road from Abuja Treaty.

If the people cannot move freely within the region, how does one achieve any degree of integration? Integration is not just free movement of goods and capital. Free movement of people is an imperative in this endeavor. It is a sine qua non for a free flow of ideas, and the exchange of experiences. Granted, safeguards will be required, but these should be such that they do not make things unnecessarily cumbersome and difficult!

At present, national considerations override our march towards integration. Sovereign interests prevail over regional or continental interests. These are things that we hold on to too guardedly and jealously. The leadership may subscribe to certain decisions taken at continental meetings while not being fully convinced of their judiciousness, maybe to avoid the risk of being accused of breaking ranks. But when it comes to implementation there is a concern that the decisions taken collectively will impinge on sovereignty!

The aforementioned notwithstanding, the enormity of the development challenges facing Africa at the dawn of this new century is such that the immediate establishment of the “United States of Africa” ought to be the ideal response. However, the establishment of the “United States of Africa” in the short run faces a number of major internal and external problems that make that approach unrealistic. A gradualist approach appears to be more realistic and pragmatic for its establishment. Under this approach:

Once the AU is able to deliver effectively on its current mandate and the economic and political benefits of integration become obvious to the Member States, they would be willing to consider more positively the surrender of sovereignty which is sine qua non for the establishment of the “United States of Africa.”

The eventual establishment of a “United States of Africa” can, in theory, serve as a catalyst for the effectiveness of the AU. The unity and cooperation of African countries within the framework of a United States will not only reduce duplication of development efforts at national and regional levels but also permit the AU to be endowed with the necessary powers and resources that are critical to its effectiveness. Also, a “United States of Africa”, in which the African Union Commission (AUC) serves as the official mouthpiece of the continent will enable Africa to speak with a common, strong and united voice in engagements with the rest of the world. More importantly, the enhancement of the bargaining power emanating from the establishment of the “United States of Africa” will increase the capacity of the African Union to achieve the objective of integrating Africa into the global economy and polity as a respected equal partner.

We need, therefore, to educate ourselves on the dire necessity to integrate! We need to involve Civil Society. We need the participation of NGOs’ Trade Unions, Chambers of Commerce, among other stakeholders. Indeed, everybody should be on board. Integration should be made a cross-cutting national policy. It should be encrusted in our minds as we formulate our own national programs of nation-building. It should become a matter of natural consideration to the extent that whatever national policy is put in place should be done in terms of its incidence within the region. That way, whatever barriers exist can be addressed with a view to their eventual removal thus paving the way for effective interaction in the region and ensuring movement as one entity.

The path to integration is cooperation. We need to be able to cooperate better with each other. Those who are better endowed and better equipped should show solidarity towards the others.

Now, for this to really happen and take shape in an orderly manner, one needs to have the right kind of leadership, committed to this ideal, not only at the country level, but also within the institutions that are set up to translate this policy concretely. The right people in the right place: this is what is most important!

The way forward is the course traced in the Abuja Treaty. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. All that we need to do is to fine-tune whatever is required to make it more responsive to the present circumstances. This requires that we be ambitious. However, while it is commendable to be ambitious, one needs to have the commensurate resources to attain the objective of that ambition, failing which it will remain but an unattainable dream. While we need not forsake our dream, we have nonetheless to cut our cloth according to our size! We therefore have to be realistic. One just cannot embark on a journey strewn with multiple unknown obstacles without first adequately planning that journey to ensure that the final destination is reached with as few mishaps as possible. The vision for an integrated Africa, both on the political and economic fronts, is a lofty ideal. What form it is given and it takes is equally important. But surely, this cannot happen overnight. The earlier we accept this fact, the better we will be armed in our endeavor to reach our objective. It is worth repeating that we need at all times to focus on the fact that the ultimate beneficiaries of our collective efforts are our peoples and they need to find expressions for their expectations in such efforts.

Care must be exercised that we do not fall into the trap of doing things simply to emulate others who are following a certain path at a given pace dictated by their particular circumstances. Our actions must be based on well-calculated and properly researched strategies. And such strategies have to respond to the aspirations of our peoples, and the aspirations themselves must be based on the vision developed for their advancement. There is no other way!

In Africa today, there is a consensus on major policy issues. But this policy consensus exists in a vacuum as far as the strategic objectives of development are concerned. There has been too much concern about keeping the policy ship afloat and too little attention to commitment to its direction and destination. My goal has been to revisit the pan-African vision for an integrated and prospering region as the destination towards which the policy ship should be steered. This vision has been given concrete expression in the Abuja Treaty as well as in the instruments that informed the emergence of the African Union. The challenge is to our development partners who should take advantage of the changing investment climate in Africa and the opportunities that present themselves. We should collectively repudiate the feeling of afro-pessimism that has pervaded the continent. The invitation is to our leaders and our development partners to pool efforts in a spirit of genuine partnership predicated on mutual accountability to work for the prosperity of the continent in the larger interest of our peoples.

To that extent, a right policy mix is of the essence. A leader’s actions cannot be confined to the local context, that is, at the national level. Bearing in mind that our ultimate objective is integration, we have to be able to talk and listen to each other. But beyond that, we need to listen to our peoples. And most importantly, commitment to policy is critical. Without commitment we can go on talking to exhaustion point! Commitment and political will are critical in this endeavor, for without these two elements, the dream of integration will never be fulfilled. Courage of conviction is also another key requirement. If we believe in something then, we should not falter in our steps. We need to forge ahead and, in the long run, the reward will be there. We may not be there to savour the fruits of our labor but generations to come will remember and reap the benefits. The people, I wish to reiterate, have to be on board. To be able to reach the destination we have fixed for ourselves, all hands must be on board. It cannot be just the leadership. It has to be the leadership and the people. The movement forward should be collective! Everybody should know what the stakes are.

We cannot afford to go it alone any longer! Our future lies in integrating Africa, the sooner the better! There is no alternative!!