African Renaissance: Bidding Begins Now

Republic of South Africa Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was elected as the African Union Commission Chair at the Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on July 15-16, 2012. She is the first woman and Southern African to be elected to the post., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

African renaissance: Bidding begins now

Sunday, 19 May 2013 00:00
Reprinted From the Zimbabwe Sunday Mail

The OAU was formed to, among other functions, “co-ordinate and intensify the co-operation of African states and efforts to achieve a better life for the peoples of Africa”

Morris Mkwate

As Africa sets the stage to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity this week, many hearts across the
continent are bleeding.

For decades, progressive Africans eagerly awaited the emergence of revolutionary leaders who would transform this haven of infinite resources into a towering economic and political skyscraper.

However, only a few of the available office bearers have stepped forward to champion the cause of Africa.

The rest are bogged down in the dark corner of the lily-livered.

The latter still believe in aligning economic and political policies with foreign interests. Imbedded in their colonially conditioned psyche is a deep fear of reprisal from dominant states.

But for all the “cautious treading” of such leaders, many African countries are stuck in the depths of backwardness despite sitting on swathes of natural resources.

The time has now come for Africa to assert itself on the global stage with the African Union, the OAU’s successor, leading the way.

Leaders of the 54 AU member states must introduce the continent to a new economic and political dispensation that rides on the global interest firming African economies have generated today.

Latest figures show the cumulative African economy has grown by 5 percent per annum over the last two years. Projections indicate it will expand further, positioning the continent on the pedestal of the second-fastest growing economy in the world.

Africa has suddenly been thrust on to the investment radar on account of its lucrative investment opportunities. The “cradle of mankind” is being buffeted from all directions.
Interest ranges from mining to agro-products.

If African leaders needed an action indicator, then there it is. They should expeditiously take full advantage of this position of strength to finally guarantee Africa’s long-deserved recognition.

They should seriously consider harmonising approaches to derive economic and political benefits to the continent as a bloc.

In these modern times, the position of countries in international relations is predicated on economic and defence strengths. The greater the two, the more powerful a country becomes.

Africa has been lagging behind on both fronts. This, of course, has its roots in colonialism. The partitioning of the continent did not only set colonial geographic boundaries, it separated ideologies, cultures and peoples. It also drove a wedge of sorts among economies. This clichéd “divide-and-rule tactic” remains the modus operandi of former colonial powers.

They constantly seek to protect their interests on the continent by preserving this fragmentation. Most African states still depend on foreign financing largely because they are hardly the proprietors of their own economies.

For fear of pushing themselves into invidious positions, the heads of such countries capitulate under the slightest of external pressures. They cannot formulate independent opinion without minding foreign interests.

Look at Francophone nations in West and Central Africa, for instance. France granted them “political independence”, but audaciously kept a colonial pact in force.

It is under the auspices of this document that the economic stagnation of these states was orchestrated.

Apart from having French troops stationed in their backyards, the 14 former colonies are required to deposit 85 percent of their hard currencies in the French Treasury annually.

The money is invested away from Africa. And to top it all, they are not given an accounting of the funds! Former Senegalese leader Abdoulaye Wade is said to have raised questions around the matter.

He never got an answer.

Former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo was quickly shoved through the exit door after daring to go against the grain. His position had remained secure as long as he sang from the Pacte Coloniale hymn book.

Just one step outside cost him the presidency. He is now before the International Criminal Court, facing charges of crimes against humanity. He stands accused of causing the heavy carnage that followed political fighting in his country.

Clearly, lack of economic freedom is the bane of Africa. The AU must ideally work out formulae to nudge all member states around a common goal, more so as the continent rises cumulatively.

Individual nations cannot be left to fight imperialism alone. A collective effort anchored on a common strength and standpoint clears the way for successful endeavours.

The OAU was formed to, among other functions, “co-ordinate and intensify the co-operation of African states and efforts to achieve a better life for the peoples of Africa”.

Most of the continental grouping’s founding fathers did not live to witness the fruition of this objective, but their spirit was in the right place. They held a strong conviction that Africa could only progress through synchronised efforts. And thanks to this line of thought, a good number of African countries owe their independence to them.

The OAU, through its co-ordinating committee for the liberation of Africa, worked diligently to decolonise the continent. It garnered diplomatic support for liberation movements.

Financial, military and logistical aid was also shunted to independence aspirants. This joint initiative undoubtedly leveraged decolonisation efforts. The liberation struggle gathered momentum. Its mood was palpable to the extent that the United Nations recognised its legitimacy.

In the meantime, the grouping of African states directed international support to liberated countries through an established fund. It pressed legally to guarantee the independence of particular states.

A report on OAU activities states that the founding fathers “brought every pressure to bear on Great Britain, which, as a colonial power at the time of Smith’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence (1965), has to live by its constitutional and moral responsibility towards African majority in Rhodesia”.

They also periodically “harassed and condemned” Portugal, South Africa, Rhodesia and their Nato allies “for their colonialist and racist policy in Africa”.

Such harassment and condemnation took place at the United Nations. Examining the potency of each strategy is a subject for another day, but what clearly stands out is the African leaders’ unity of purpose.

They set out to dismantle colonial effigies across the continent.

Like a band of archers, they shot every arrow in their quiver with deadly precision. The resultant effect was the fall of minority rule.

This victory was premised on common principles and objectives.

It was the fruit of Pan-Africanism.

Sadly, the same ideals were somehow lost along the way as the fight took on an economic character. The present crop of African leaders appears to have gone way off tangent. “Efforts to achieve a better life for the peoples of Africa” are no longer a joint priority. That oneness espoused by the founding fathers of African unity is hardly evident.

Deliberate moves should be taken to ensure the continent reverts to the principles of the OAU principals. It is time African leaders mastered the courage to determine the best for their people.

Africa has been soft for far too long. Not only has it been turning the other cheek, it has also gone further to become the doormat of sorts to the world. This must stop. It can only stop if unity of purpose prevails.

The continent holds 12 percent of the world’s oil and gas reserves. About 40 percent of its gold reserves are yet to be fully exploited.

Nearly 90 percent of chromium/platinum group metals are also found here. Experts put Africa’s arable farming land at 64 percent of its total land area.

The challenge remains for AU leaders to translate this vast wealth into tangible benefits for the entire continent.

Only then will African nations no longer be treated as inferior. The time for Africa is now.