Africa consists of 54 countries. The majority of these countries were once colonized by European countries and over the past 4 decades, many have been working towards development and all round economic and social progress. The challenges faced by each country, and as a result, the continent as a whole, are large. Poverty is by far Africa’s most profound challenge. From it stems a myriad of other problems, including disease, hunger, violence and crime, intrastate conflict, corruption, etc. All of these issues ensure that for the most part, any vision outlined for Africa’s development will need to clear out these cracks from the foundation upon which a prosperous continent can be built.
Each country has within its borders, very diverse peoples, cultures, geographies and many differing realities. Creating unity and a common vision within one country is a challenge in itself. Why then, should there be a focus on regional and continental unity when it is enough of a struggle to create togetherness in just a single country?
Well, there are many ways to respond to that question. But I feel that it is important to focus on that Africa has to gain by working together. Here are just a few ideas of some of the major benefits of an integrated Africa:
1. Africa will be stronger when it consolidates and takes advantage of its economic potential. Most of the world’s raw materials and natural resources are found in Africa in abundance. Economic integration will enable Africa to exploit these resources more efficiently. This can be best achieved with well coordinated economic plans and with nations working together towards meeting economic targets. What Africa needs to do better is positive competition. In other words, they need to develop competitive economies in a way in which they are geared towards the overall economic success of Africa and not to compete against each other.
This is hard to accomplish amongst 50 or so separate countries. However, it is very achievable amongst 50 well-integrated nations. Take the example of the United States of America. In essence, what we have are 50 different countries. A lot of the states produce similar products, which they try and sell within the Union, or internationally. They would most certainly compete against each other were they separate countries, trying to edge each other out to gain access to markets and capital. However, they are all part of a well-coordinated economic plan that brings maximum benefit to the Union and to each state.
2. An integrated Africa will have its destiny more securely in its own hands. Any bloc that can bring together close to 1 billion people and have significant economic muscle (which is currently mostly economic potential) cannot be pushed around on the global arena by other nations and powers. A consolidated Africa will have major assets to boast, will have greater economic and political leverage and will be able to negotiate and push for settlements that are in its favour.
3. No conflict is in Africa’s best interest. This is something that may be seen as somewhat obvious, but with a push towards greater integration, it will become even more evident to African nation in very practical terms that warring neighbours do not create a healthy neighbourhood. This vision was accurately captured by former German Chancellor, Helmut Kohl when he addressed thousands at a ceremony in the German town of Zittau, which borders both Poland and the Czech Republic on expansion day (May1) to mark the official inclusion of 10 new EU member nations. "The message is there will never again be war in Europe," he said. Wouldn’t a similar reality for Africa be ever so welcome?
4. Interdependence is a great driver of democracy, freedom and prosperity when is its acknowledged and accepted. You have little choice but to operate in a way that looks out for those around you when your fate is tightly linked to theirs. Solidarity transforms from just being a nice word to having a deeper meaning. When African tribes were colonized, they realized that it was in their best interests to unite and collaborate rather than to remain divided. This solidarity brought about independence, political independence. Solidarity and interdependence likewise can bring about economic independence, development and progress and to protect this prosperity, countries will have greater reason to correct the shortcomings of others, such as undemocratic practices, failure to stem avoidable crises as well as push for the elimination of counterproductive behaviours such as corruption.
5. Economic, social and cultural benefits will emerge as Africa takes advantages of the growth that will result from integration. Well-connected countries will create greater access to African products and business within Africa, fuelling GDP growth. A Mozambican fisherman can sell his products to a Zambian supermarket chain without the currently difficulties and barriers. Zimbabwe could provide IT solutions to Namibia, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. South African manufacturers could have more access to West African markets.
Integration will also enable Africans to build strong ties with one another. One of the common features of closely tied nations is that of free movement and access. People can feely move from one country to another, sharing each other’s cultures and creating a much more informed African population than that which currently exists. As people connect and explore each other’s differences, a strong sense of identity will develop—an African identity. This African identity will also have a major influence on the economic output of the continent. Africa also has vast resources in terms of its culture and the impact in can have internationally. The potential for business growth in the global entertainment (music, movies, literature etc), fashion, and media industries is well worth exploring for African companies. The current international market dominated by Western influences would eventually yield some of its share to that which Africa has to offer.
Some important steps—how to achieve the vision of an integrated Africa
Currently, Africa has got regional bodies such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) bringing together countries in Southern African and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) whose effectiveness is limited. These bodies help to create common lobbying positions and loose cooperation. Over the next few years, regional blocs such as these two could begin the groundwork for integration, creating mini mega-states. They could closely follow the model of the EU and have as their ultimate vision, an integrated Africa in, say, twenty years from now.
ECOWAS and SADC both fall within the current framework of the African Union (AU). The AU has a lot ambitious goals about unifying Africa. However, a lot of what the AU tries to achieve is between countries whose sense of interdependence and unity is very rhetorical, and far from being at any practical level. Nations in conflict remain a part of the Union (such as the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, etc). Perhaps there is not enough at stake for them to put a greater amount of work into ending these conflicts. Other nations may feel that these conflicts do not directly impact them, and thus they too, are not as energetic about stamping them out. I would like to argue that genocide like that which Rwanda saw ten years ago would have little chance of occurring in an Africa where member states were closely linked to one another. What happens in one country really matters to another.
Involve the People!
The current integration of Africa, through the AU is very much a top-down, government-driven process. Whilst it is important for it to happen this way to some extent, as any of these interstate agreements can only be made by governments, the role of civil society must not be neglected. Africa’s people needed to be involved in developing this vision, as well as in implementing it. Otherwise, Africa’s unity will only belong to these governmental institutions and not its people—something that would be most tragic.
Governments, the AU and other regional bodies need to create the appropriate institutions and structures to facilitate African integration. However, they need to reach out and get the people themselves to be a part of the journey towards a more unified Africa. The large numbers of Africans that are not literate, or who do not have access to technology, or transport networks and markets will need to be carefully accommodated. With the involvement of all on the continent, this process will be far more successful and rapid than through a strictly bureaucratic, governmental approach.
What needs to be happening now, more than ever, is an increased dialogue about this topic. This is where the media (newspapers, TV, radio etc) plays an important role. Africa needs to generate a continent wide conversation on its future. The internet can also play a very powerful role in generating discussions on what it means for 54 countries to come together in the interests of Africa as a whole.
The Role of Youth
Information and Communication Technologies will play crucial role in Africa’s establishment of a sense of unity. The ability of people to have a sense of connectivity is extremely important. Youth are the greatest users of these technologies. Therefore, the role they play in shaping the future of the continent is crucial, given the fact that a large amount Africa’s development this century will be dependent on technology. The fact that, according to the BBC, Africa is the world’s largest growing market for cellular phones is very telling.
Young people in African can begin to facilitate continent wide dialogues around the issue of African unity and integration. They can begin to explore some of the ways in which they can take a lead in the process and provide inspiration to governments in creating policies and legislation that support smoother integration.
How can TIG members contribute?
TakingITGlobal.org provides many useful tools for tackling this challenge. The country sites provided by TIG (http://connect.takingitglobal.org) are platforms that youth can use to learn about each other’s countries, as well as a starting point to building bridges and connections across the continent. The discussion boards (http://www.takingitglobal.org/discuss/) and email groups (http://groups.takingitglobal.org) are great places for dialogue to being on themes relevant to African unity/integration and features such as the project pages (http://projects.takingitglobal.org) enable youth to launch initiatives together across borders and divides.
The recent developments in Europe hold many lessons for the people of Africa. Europe is certainly taking advantage of geography to bring about a wide range of benefits and prosperity for its people. Africa has the same opportunity. We need to come together as Africans, and specifically as youth, and create a vision for ourselves and our continent. Where do we want Africa to be in five, ten, fifteen or fifty year’s time? What role do we want to play in creating that vision? What do we need to be doing differently? Who needs to be a part of this process? These are but a few of the questions that need to be asked.
We have the resources, tools and opportunities to do transform Africa. Our challenge is to move ourselves into action and be a part of an important process that contributes to the success and development of our Africa.
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