Movement order towards the United States of Africa soon in action.

Afrogouvernance - by Gustave Botela Lipo - June 11th, 2008.

In my account of April 09th, 2008, I had spoken broadly about the foundation of AUO up to the African Union. The creation of the United States of Africa is a subject that all African leaders without exception, have to think of it and that this is their prayer of the daily evening before sleeping.

The world is in full mutation and, Africa does not avoid it given that our dear continent is also part of this world in evolution.

In September, 1999, during the fourth extraordinary summit of the state African leaders and from government of AUO in Syrte (Libya), the colonel Mouammar Al-Kadhafi motivates the idea of the creation of the United States of Africa.

The creation of the African Union

«Guided by our common view of unified and strong Africa ", the leaders of the continent decided to replace the African Unity Organization (AUO) in a new Union. The July summit which was held in Lusaka (Zambia) had to be the last of AUO. In the constituting Act of the African Union, the African political leaders assert the need «to model a partnership between governments and all coats of the society ", to struggle against the blight of conflicts, and " to promote and to protect human rights, to consolidate the democratic institutions and culture, and to assure the good governance and the primacy of right ".

According to the African leaders, structures of OAU established since 1963 were not as high as task, the leaders of the continent made a first appeal to the constitution of an African Union in Syrte (Libya), in September, 1999. After deep debates on the plan of change, the next Summit of AUO in Lomé (Togo) adopted the constituting Act of the Union and subjected it to the signature and the ratification of the 53 Member States of OAU. Having acquired the ratification of the two thirds of the members of the OAU, the African Union (AU) was officially proclaimed in March, 2001.

From the beginning, OAU is gone bald by its prerogatives that are to say of its original trajectory. The African union erases Unit bluntly African in preference since then economic initiatives that the strengthening of the Unit of the African continent. According to the supporters of this school of the African Union, Unity failed by for lack of medium financiers. Therefore there preference the partnership with the countries of the North, Africa will become strong, unified and able of being obvious on worldwide chessboard.

Although being acknowledged on juridical plan, the African Union and its different institutions remain to establish. The leaders gathered in Lusaka especially examined the intermediate and preparative measures which will have to be taken before the keeping of the first Summit of the African Union, having envisaged next year in Southern Africa. Mr. Salim Ahmed Salim, for a long time general secretary of the OAU, was replaced with Mr. Amara Essy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ivory Coast (and the former President of the general  Assembly of the United Nations), who will aim transition.

The dissolution of OAU in favor of the African Union, could not put down disagreement on institutional plan because OAU has already had valid bones and if the African leaders who supported the pure and simple hypothesis of the deletion of OAU, they should first do deepened researches and to find the first reasons of the failure of aforementioned Organization and to correct errors. Thereabouts, they can quickly understand since there were two schools of thought which opposed. Some is in favor of the continuity of the force of Unity and others of incoherence and is in favor of the Economic union.

By consulting us in the European Union or in the UN, they search reasons of dysfunction of the Organization first and they correct defects. When they had dissociated SN (Society of Nations) by the UN (Organization of United Nations), heretofore Charter changed the single sentence in no way because, it is not the error of the definition of Charter that is at the origin of the failure of SDN. The first disability is there that; SN did not have troops of intervention of assertion of peace. Thing which was corrected in the creation of the UN. They have exclude Japan and Germany among the members of the permanent committee in return for of France and Great Britain. In it, they provided the UN of the troops of intervention. What explains a systematic renovation to adapt the Organization according to the movement of planetary mutation? So, SN in its constitutional text, nothing changed.

In the case of OAU and AU, everything is changed since its text of origin. It is the most serious error of the Africans leaders who supported fiercely the idea of removing everything. OAU was created in the idea of joining Africa, that is to say the chief idea of the United States of Africa. Kwame Nkrumah had said: « Let us unite where we shall die. » So in 1963, OAU came into the world. It is normal for a new continental Organization, composed of the countries which have just taken out labels of the imperialists, to make errors on structure and certain institutional rules. In anything, it is the first not who counts. Without forgetting that Pan-Africanism was fought by the Westerners, seeing in it a brilliant idea which will jostle economy in years to European and endanger to a certain extent the future of the development of some countries of the North.

 "Extremely ambitious» and " very difficult" were adjectives used by the South African President Thabo Mbeki to represent two plans of socioeconomic development and political union of Africa. A good many of his colleagues presidents and first ministers, united in Lusaka (Zambia) on the occasion of a Summit of the Organization of African unity (OAU), were also aware of formidable challenges which wait for them, even though they try hard to change the relations of the African countries, between them and in relation to the rest of the world.

On political plan, the African leaders have intention to transform OAU, in the year which comes, in a more efficient institution in the continental ladder, the African Union. At the same time, the representatives for the continent like to promote an unpublished strategy of development «fabricated in Africa ", known under the name of new African Initiative. This strategy combines two plans of plans introduced this year by different African presidents, the Partnership of the millennium for the Program of revival of Africa and Omega plan, which were merged in the single document on the eve of the Summit of OAU organized in Lusaka from 9 till 11 of July 2001.

The total objective of Initiative, decrees the Heads of state united in this opportunity, will be to lead to a human and lasting development ", while being sure that Africa will be more than a secondary actor in worldwide economy. In order to do that, Africa will inevitably have to benefit from a better draft and of a better governance one, declares Initiative, maintaining that «the people of the continent besides began showing that they accepted no more poor political and economic orientations ". Although numerous details remain to regulate, the outlines of Initiative were already sketched (« We shall determine our own destiny ").

To understand definitely, initiative is thrown without a pre-established plan. How it was necessary to change, therefore they remove the picture and they settle the question to know what to write on the place? In the presence of this new African Initiative, which is a source of hope all at once and the plan of development of the continent awaken praises and skepticism. The first President of the  African Union in this case Thabo Mbeki then President of the South Africa, had brought the ideas of economy as preference, an existent initiative of the policy of his own country which tried to find itself on the resumption afterwards of long period of apartheid. For him, the view of the economic partnership with the ex-colonizers was the way of exit. An experience which the fathers of Pan-Africanism consisted of at the dawn of the years of independence (1960). Therefore they can definitely understand that, the president Thabo Mbeki is not of this sphere of influence and cannot consist of thoroughly the conflict of African Unity. He wants to represent a neo-colonialist idea within the African family.

The sense of change had not a firm belief of a better future as the African continent. By analyzing nearly the idea of the colonel Mouammar Kadhafi on the creation of African Unity, had to have nothing with the Union of States in partnership. Unity has to have nothing with the Union. It is in unity that they will form unions; once unity is constituted, it is unique force to preserve our African sovereignty and to maintain the cape towards progress. Therefore the original idea of the colonel Kadhafi was in the continuity of OAU and to make amendments appropriated to solidify African Unity, whose same language we all must speak as it is case with the United States of America. The fathers of Pan-Africanism thought of this noble idea and, we all owe to support it and to develop new hypotheses that can better argue and to defend this noble idea for the lasting, qualifying development which does not cease taking out Africans from lips of our dear leaders.

The African union favors the economic partnership more African than the unity of Africa.

By this resolution, the African governments promise to accumulate funds faster on the continent thanks to the improvement of the fiscal systems, a better effectiveness and in rates more favorable to national investments and to the savings. All at once, Initiative offers creation «of a new type of partnership between Africa and international community, particularly industrial countries, to fill up the precipice which deepened in development in the course of centuries of unequal reports ".

Numerous African Heads of state plead in favor of a more rational reduction of debt, an increase of foreign aid, more important foreign investments, and broader opening of the markets of the North in the exports of the continent. To the session dedicated in Africa in July, the Economic and Social Council of the UN heard James Wolfensohn, President of World Bank to agree to new African Initiative as an event "of an extraordinary importance for every inhabitant of the planet ". Mr. Wolfensohn moreover promised that the Bank would bring its inflow in the programs which «are worked out on place and applied to place. We recognize that the models of development imposed by Washington, London or Geneva do not walk on the ground ", he added. Mr. Wolfensohn also added that, while continuing tying conditions to its loans, the Bank would try hard «to simplify the procedures of attribution ". Besides, the financial institution will participate more in efforts of development and strengthening of regional incorporation in Africa, rather than to concentrate almost entirely on the national plans of development, as in the past.

Since the creation of the  African Union, in spite of the preference imposed on the economic partnership with the North, the African continent moved forward an only one not towards the door of happiness. The key of African economy is always in the hands of our ex-colonizers. A partnership is always of loser - winning which becomes more marked year by year. The President of the World Bank underlines very well that; the models of development imposed by Washington, London or Geneva not function not to you.

So, it tightens us the hand to present them a new model of development invented by the Union African. By asking for the lightening of debt, it means that Africa has resolutions of the well structured economic revivals and made to order which are suitable for development on the ground. Unfortunately it is not case. It explains once again of more our dependency and weakness person opposite in the report of force North-south of the point of seen African did not evolve. We risk remaining dependent on the North still hanging centuries. The partnership preferenceby the African Union with the countries of the North has African no advantage for the time being for the future of youth. The African leaders have to re-think in final which form of confederation to opt for the lasting development of our dear African continent.

«To help Africa is not charity»

The week according to the Summit of Lusaka, a deputation of African leaders aimed by the president Abdoulaye Wade of the Senegal glorified deserve them Initiative in front of the annual Summit of the eight industrial countries which was held in Genoa, in Italy. «For the first time as part of G8, the question of Africa was seriously approached ", had underlined the French President Jacques Chirac. The Prime minister of United Kingdom, Tony Blair, asked the backers to launch «a kind of Plan Marshal «for Africa, so referring to the important injections of capitals which contributed to the reconstruction of Europe after the Second World War.

Mr. Guy Verhofstadt, interim President of the European Union, as for him determined «that there is a political will on behalf of [countries] rich to participate in partnership in actions on the continent. It was not case until now. At the end of three days of debates, everybody, including the American President George Bush, was aware of the chasm which dissociates the North and the South, the rich men of the G8 and Africa ".

G8 welcomed new African Initiative as a promising starting point of a more narrow partnership. The eight industrial countries also adopted " the Plan of Genoa for Africa ", who underlines domains interesting particularly industrial countries, as promotion of the private investments, the expansion of trade in Africa and outside the continent, the improvement of the systems of public health, the conflict against hunger, solid management of firms, introduction of new technologies, conflict against corruption, good gouvernance and prevention of conflicts. The Prime Minister Jean Christian, who will welcome the next Summit of G8 in Canada, promised that Africa would be main subject. «To help Africa is not charity, but investment ", he affirmed.

The members of the G8 offer to prepare more concrete plans of partnership in anticipation of the Summit of next year. At the same time, they have intention to hire an uninterrupted dialogue with a committee of 15 members composed of Leaders of African States. The committee, aimed by the Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, should formulate definite programs which would be applied as part of new African Initiative, also with the aim of the Summit of G8 of 2002.

G8 could only welcome manual opened the partnership between Africa and this Organization firmly prepared. Africa always puts the plow in front of oxen. What kind of relationship the African deputation in front of G8? The Africans are going to search a partnership with a supranational economic organization, which achieves to solidify their relations and economic collaboration and not to relieve the wrong of the countries of the South! G8 an organization is not which, nor in their constitution and in their budget does the plan of the help of Africa appear there. Africa is considered to be commercial bars and their plan in Africa has nothing common in what our African leaders think of. An African deputation in position of ache to ask for help, imagine what a humiliation for Africa!

With all mining, oil, forested means, etc, we must come in manservant's position. When we shall understand it? « To help Africa is not charity ». Somebody who asks for help is always in position of misery. Help is not synonymous with partnership in all its forms. The partnership advocated by the African Union has no sense.

Definition of the Partnership:

The partnership defines itself as an active community of different dealers who, while maintaining their self-government, agree to pool their efforts with a view to accomplishing a common objective linked up with a problem or with an apparently identified need in which, by virtue of their respective mission, they have an interest, a responsibility, a motivation, or even an obligation. The partnership often envisages as part of alliances. Alliances with the strategically partners can give rise to agreements of technological, industrial collaboration, or commercial.

Alliances can concern establishment abroad demanding a local partnership, the distribution of risks with a national rival of the same area, or lasting partnerships in the domains of subcontract, provisioning, services.

According to this definition, nothing identifies or underlines an imminent relationship with the term of help.

Weigh for and against

As the comments of Mr. Wade give to understand it, the promoters of new African Initiative are particularly aware due to the fact that, whatever is the support which they accept on international plan, it will be necessary to them to earn first of all the firm support of the people of Africa if they intend to succeed in their firm.

Since the announcement this year of the Program of the millennium and Omega plan, which were then inserted into Initiative, decision-makers, academics, agents of development, commentators of the press, union activists, representatives for the society and many others discussed of deserve and weaknesses of plan. Numerous voices expressed the careful hope that Initiative would really represent a new departure for the continent. If it is possible to reach peace and political stability and if industrial countries hold their promises, Initiative «should offer in Africa the means to become apparent in the central spheres of the economic, political and cultural business of the world ", declared Kuseni Dlamini, researcher takes on in the South African Institute of international business.

Other groups, nevertheless, prove to be more circumspect. They get worried about the negative impact which globalization could have in Africa and doubt the firmness of the political commitment of the African leaders faced with their own plan. Initiative «constitutes the good choice at good instant ", estimates a commentator of the Gambian daily Independent. The newspaper fears nevertheless the lack of enthusiasm of possible foreign investors for a continent «where there is so much disturbances and anarchy» and doubts that the new African Union proves to be more efficient than OAU.

Preference in regional incorporation

The professor Moustapha Kasse, doyen of economy in the Sheikh Anta Diop university of Dakar (Senegal), pointed out that other programs of economic development offered before by OAU, as the Plan of action of Lagos of 1980, failed for various reasons and not only because of the deficiencies of the African governments. It notably named the deterioration of economic environment on international plan, lack of support of countries donors (which favored the policies of structural adjustment), dryness, launching of civil wars and tendency of every African country to defend its short term interests, rather than to offer a total view for the whole continent.

Mr. Kasse thinks that approach advocated by African Initiative takes into account certain lessons drawn by the past chess. That's how plan acknowledges that economic growth and development are not only influenced by financial mailmen and of production, but also by political and social mailmen. Where from the place was granted by Initiative in peace, the good gouvernance and the promotion of the woman. More important still is the accent put on the different manners of multiplying trades, transport systems and plans of investments between African countries. A bigger regional incorporation would allow to enlarge the local markets and to make easier so the realization of economies of scale, the getting of capitals necessary to the creation of facilities and the optimum sharing out of means, according to Mr. Kasse.

From his part, K.Y.Amoako, executive Secretary of the economic Commission of the UN for Africa, respect that an acceleration of regional incorporation " is likely to make easier the distribution of risks between savings which are moreover vulnerable and to allow the continent to exploit its complementarily and to attract capitals necessary for a lasting growth and a development in Africa ". Such incorporation should to its turn «to allow our continent to achieve the market of international competition ", he says.

Nevertheless, the economic incorporation of Africa will not be made overnight. Tito Mboweni, elected representative in mid-August President de l' Association of the governors of the central banks of Africa, respect that about twenty years will be needed so that Africa is ready for an unique currency and a central bank in the continental ladder. More than 30 years in Europe were needed to establish a unique currency, but «with consistent programs and a good organization, these objectives are accomplishable ", it predicts.

South African Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nkosazana Zuma, respect that it would be necessary to consolidate the regional associations of the continent, as the Community for the development of the Southern Africa and the economic Community of the States of Western Africa from now on, to be able to undertake the economic incorporation of the continent. «If the regional blocks are weak, then the economic incorporation of the continent will be weak", he says.

As for trade, the president Obasanjo of Nigeria recommends that the African countries grant more attention in the «redefining of commercial links " which link them up. That's how in Western Africa, the easing of regional restrictions on trade has already allowed to record a sensitive increase of the volume of exchanges between neighboring countries for 10 years, he notes. Besides, it will be necessary that the Africans coordinate their positions more on the big commercial files to make heard they better hear in international negotiations on these questions, estimates the Nigerian President.

 The training of the African confederation (the United States of Africa)

During the last meeting in Abuja (Nigeria) held on May 22nd and 23rd, 2008, Senegalese minister of Foreign Affairs understood stakes on the appropriate question of African Unity among whom the United States of Africa. Mister Cheik Tidiane Gadio underlines the importance of this subject which made general agreement in the course of meeting.

At the close of this debate regarding yes or not to opt for an African confederation forming a continental government, on a movement order towards the united States of Africa; formulating on the occasion of the commemoration of the Day of Africa, organized by the group of the Arabic Ambassadors, accredited in Dakar, mister Cheikh Tidiane commented that a general agreement was found on this question during the meeting of Abuja (Nigeria) where it took part on May 22nd and 23rd, 2008. ‘Question is regulated. The debate on question to set up the United States of Africa is not any more in order day. African unity is in motion. A general agreement was found on this question ’, he declared.

Speaking about the abandonment of the sovereignty of States, the Senegalese diplomat supported that it does not pose a problem in the Senegal. ‘We are ready for a partial or complete abandonment of our sovereignty to construct the United States of Africa ’, he says, while leaning on the Senegalese Constitution which envisages this sacrifice. As for other States which are fond of their sovereignty, Gadio reassures. ‘We are going to form a continental government where States will keep their independence and their sovereignty to put everybody comfortable ’, he underlines.

According to him, this building will make progressively, that is to say phased stage, and a general agreement was also found in this sense. But big questioning that it settles, it is to know how and when continental unity will be made. ‘Now, the question which settles is to set up a movement order and a calendar for its execution ’, he recommends. The minister recalled, besides, other concerns as rationalization of the customs unions, the audit of the commission of the African Union, the domains of competence, new sources of financing, etc.