July 2, 2007
Positions are being staked out
concerning the establishment of a
pan-African government, at the annual
summit of the African Union under way
in Accra. Heads of state and
government from around the continent
began meeting in the Ghanaian capital
on Sunday; they will wrap up talks on
Tuesday.
Of the 53 AU members, about 30 are
represented by their leaders.
Continent-wide administration is the
key issue on the agenda of this year's
summit. A 2006 study by the AU, An
African Union Government: Towards the
United States of Africa, has suggested
that such an administration could be
in place by 2015 -- fulfilling an
aspiration that dates back to the
founding of the union's predecessor,
the Organisation of African Unity.
While some are cautious about the
creation of an AU government, others
believe it is key to helping Africa
emerge from poverty and
under-development.
"We need to take the bull by the
horns and move towards a new country
-- Africa," said AU Commission
chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare on
Sunday. He also noted that
"political integration …will
give us more clout and bargaining
power when negotiating with other
blocs".
Certain pan-African bodies are already
in place. "We have the Pan
African Parliament [PAP] and the
African Court of Justice," noted
Konare. But, "These structures
lack power: they are not effective
structures. A union government will
give them teeth."
The PAP was set up in 2004, in part to
promote good governance and democracy
across the continent. While a protocol
establishing the African Court of
Justice is in place, it can only come
into effect after ratification by all
AU member states. To date, just a
handful have done so.
Perhaps the most vocal proponent of
continental government, Libyan
President Moammar Gadaffi, was not
present at the opening ceremony of the
gathering for African leaders.
Ghana's President, John Kufuor, noted
that the views of citizens should be
sought on the matter of an AU
government -- and that stronger
regional groupings are required for
such an authority to take shape.
Free movement
A lack of free movement of people and
goods in the various regions is said
to have slowed integration. Statistics
from the United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa indicate, for
instance, that regional trade in the
Economic Community of West Africa
States is a quarter of the bloc's
trade with Europe.
The call for free movement of people
was echoed by activists present at the
summit.
"We call on our excellencies to
remove all visa requirements for
African citizens to travel across the
continent as a first step towards a
protocol that enshrines the right to
residence, work and movement. Without
continental citizenship, continental
government is meaningless," said
a communiqué issued by about 150
civil society organisations drawn from
30 African countries.
Activists have also taken a stand on
the matter of economic partnership
agreements (EPAs) -- accords that are
scheduled to come into force by next
year, and which many fear will drive
Africa deeper into poverty.
Hundreds of activists wearing T-shirts
adorned with anti-poverty messages and
carrying placards bearing the slogan
"Say no to EPAs" held
peaceful demonstrations this weekend
outside the summit venue.
EPAs are intended to make bring trade
between the EU and Africa, Caribbean
and Pacific states (the ACP bloc) into
conformity with World Trade
Organisation (WTO) rules. ACP nations
currently enjoy preferential access to
Europe's markets without having to
reciprocate. In terms of WTO
requirements, ACP states will be
required to start opening their
markets to European products from 2008
-- this new relationship governed by
the EPAs.
Opposition
Tetteh Hormeku, coordinator of the
Africa Trade Network, believes this
will prove disastrous.
"Cheap and often subsidised
European products will flood our
markets, displacing domestic products
and deepening the crisis faced by
domestic producers, leading to further
loss of jobs and livelihoods," he
said. The network is an umbrella body
for organisations working on
international trade issues and their
effect on Africa's development.
Similar concerns were voiced by West
African farmers' associations and
trade unions that met from June 26 to
29 in Accra to chart ways of dealing
with the EPAs. A communiqué from this
event, demanding an immediate halt to
EPA talks, is expected to be presented
to the AU leaders.
There are also fears that African
farmers, already hard hit by the
subsidies that wealthy countries pay
their farmers, will become worse off
under the agreements.
Substantial financial losses are
envisaged if EPAs come into effect.
Analysts argue that this will reduce
governments' expenditure on social
services such as health, education and
water provision -- services that are
already strained.
At a June 28 session in Accra of the
AU executive council, made up of
African ministers of foreign affairs,
Elizabeth Tankeu -- AU trade and
industry commissioner -- said there
was little progress in ensuring that
EPA negotiations safeguarded
development.
AU member states present at the
session also claimed that ACP
countries had been subjected to
pressure from the EU to agree to EPAs.
"We must persuade the EU to avoid
exercising such pressure. If we
succumb to pressure, we will have
trade without development," they
said.
Noted Hauwa Mustapha of the Nigeria
Labour Congress: "It is our hope
that our governments will not allow
themselves to be dragged along with
the agenda of the EU."
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