by Mohammed Nurudeen Issahaq ~ 

Accra, Sept. 20, GNA - In almost every part of the African continent, the people’s yearn for a united/integrated Africa and the wish for an increased pace towards the realization of that dream is evident. And of course, the masses are justified in this demand from their political leaders. If even small corporate entities clamour for mergers because that is the surest survival strategy in today’s world, how much more entire nations with much bigger economic and political stakes! Since its inauguration in Durban on July 9, 2002, the AU is yet to make its presence felt on the continent in concrete terms. About a decade into the Union’s existence, a vast majority of Africa’s population is yet to have an appreciable knowledge about the AU and to feel its impact in their everyday lives.

Quite evidently the momentum, the spark that is needed to ignite the flame of integration has not yet happened this far. Apart from the routine elite conferences and annual official commemorations of AU Day (May 25th), things are a bit too quiet on the African integration front. As another Founder’s Day anniversary dawns, and in memory of the Pioneers of the Pan-African vision, it is imperative that all people of African descent, including those in the Diaspora, embark on some interrogation to explore the most pertinent question the entire continent should be preoccupied with at this point: “What are those impediments that are responsible for the AU’s apparent stagnation, and what is the way forward?”

As far as the position of this write-up goes, the causes are both internally generated and externally imposed. Prominent among them include what Francis Fukuyama would refer to as the ‘Bad Emperor’ phenomenon, or commonly referred to these days as leadership deficit. For evidence of this, check what is happening in Uganda, Zimbabwe and other parts of the continent. Then come the huge foreign debts, the dependency syndrome, unfair terms of trade, crushing poverty, and armed conflicts which together present a formidable threat to the progress of the African body. 

The dilemma posed by the dichotomy between state sovereignty and regional integration is another significant obstacle that cannot be overlooked. There are, also, the problems created by colonial/territorial boundaries. Traveling across the border from one African country to the next remains a nightmare, with numerous road checkpoints where ordinary travelers and traders routinely have to pay bribes before border officials on duty would allow them to get through.

By far the most crucial challenge confronting the AU and Africa’s quest for integration, however, is the non-performance of the various Regional Economic Communities (RECs) on the continent. These include the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA),  the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the Community of Sahelo-Saharan States (COSASS), the Economic Community of Central African States ((ECCAS), and the Southern Africa Development Commission (SADC). The reactivation and harmonization of the activities of these sub-regional bodies is what would lend momentum to the integration process and propel Africa’s rapid economic development. Considering the large membership of the AU (54 nations including South Sudan) and other peculiar characteristics of the African continent, the RECs are essential building blocks whose effective functioning is a vital prerequisite to any successful economic integration on the continent.

Unchanged Colonial-era Economic Patterns:

To a large extent, the low level of trade and cooperation among African countries and, for that matter,...more