*This article is a follow-up to “Africa: Leaders Consider Continental Integration,” featured in our July 6, 2007 newsletter.

For decades, the concept of international integration has existed in the minds of Africans as a potential answer to the continent’s problems.  By July 5, the date that marked the end of this year’s African Union Summit, leaders finally made an agreement to begin acting concretely - and promptly - upon the said objective.  Diplomats, members of the African Diaspora, and politicians contributed toward the debate and the ultimate decision.

The summit took place in Ghana’s capital, Accra.  For this reason, and also in part to honor Ghana’s first freely-elected president, Kwame Nkrumah, who was among the first to propose continental integration, John Kufuor (Ghana’s current president) informally named the agreement the “Accra Declaration.”

Although all countries present at the summit agreed upon integration as a crucial objective, they remain in disagreement about how quickly the process should take place.  Muammar Gaddafi, president of Libya, is one of the foremost advocates of the United States of Africa model and is in support of an immediate transformation.  Nevertheless, most leaders at the summit agreed on a more gradual model, “similar to that of the European Union,” arguing that, “Like the EU, you are not going to get all 53 African countries to join at the same time” [1].  Presidents of Liberia, Uganda, and South Africa are among the supporters of the gradual approach.

The summit leaders appointed a special commission to begin the efforts toward integration.  The commission’s first assignment is to “examine how best to integrate regional economic institutions to facilitate ‘freer movement of persons, goods, services and capitol’ across the continent” [2].   The idea of a common African passport was also discussed but not included in the final declaration.

While a continental union has seen widespread support both inside and out of Africa, like any controversial movement, it also has its opponents.  Critics of integration are quick to point out that the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union) was originally founded on the principle of integration but that principle became an unrealistic goal that leaders were never able to achieve.  Further, Franklin Cudjoe, Executive Director of the IMANI Center for Policy and Education in Ghana, calls attention to the fact that, during the summit, there was very little mention “on the real disasters of Zimbabwe, Darfur, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.  Other continental failures such as corruption and election-rigging did not even feature on the agenda – although these remain the real unifying features of Africa” [3].

More specifically, Cudjoe worries that the Accra Declaration includes no focus on economic policies and the way that such policies could be central to changing Africa’s future (as they have done for individual countries such as Mauritius, South Africa, and Botswana).  Reverend Jesse Jackson, who spoke at the conference, shared his thoughts on the potential role of an integrated economy: “a common currency for Africa [is] critical for empowering African nations on the global economic level.”  He declared that, “The world is moving too fast for Africa to wait,” as the multi-cultural United States has the dollar as its common language, and Europe the Euro, but nothing like that yet for Africa [4].  Jackson appeared as a representative of the African Diaspora community.  (An important subtopic of the conference was the African Diaspora and the role that members of the Diaspora will play in Africa’s future.)

The IIJD believes that the following factors have precipitated the continent into poverty, wars, and instability: repressive political environments; systemic barriers to securing civil and political rights; and lack of discipline, transparency, and accountability in management of resources.  In response to the current repressive environment, the IIJD advocates institutional reforms, the development of an independent judiciary system, and access to a free and fair justice system to be among the most important factors in advancing democracy, protecting human rights, and assuring sustainable development.

Only through the reform of the system of governance can we combat corruption, demand accountability, secure investments, and create an incentive for educated and capable citizens to stay on the continent and Africans living abroad and in the Diaspora to contribute in the development of Africa.

In response to the issue of economic policy, although we do agree that one common currency for Africa will empower Africa at the level of the global economy, the IIJD asks the African countries to present more unified positions on international trade and environmental negotiations and conventions.  Still on the issue of economic policy, the IJJD places an emphasis on the benefits of petroleum and mineral wealth and how Africans should use these resources to create viable post-natural resource economies.  We also suggest that African leaders work toward enhancing technology-building economic linkages and encourage re-investment in Africa, especially in the areas of manpower training, engineering and fabrication yards.  It might be worthwhile for members of the specially appointed commission to consider how these natural resources could help the African economy.

As stated in the first part of this series on continental unity, the IIJD supports the general ideas of political unity and legitimate leadership, and in this way believes in the rationale behind integration.  The IIJD even suggested the idea of a conference (like this year’s summit) that would lead to an action plan (like the Accra Declaration).  Nevertheless, concern remains about Africa’s current pressing issues and how those will be addressed during the process of developing an internationally integrated government.  For this reason, the IIJD hopes that, throughout this process, some sort of focus will exist on the justice and development of individual countries, especially those currently in need.

The IIJD encourages Africans living abroad and in the Diaspora to remain involved in Africa and the its politics.  They may do so by participating in skills development through mentoring and volunteering of their expertise, as well as increasing their financial investments in the continent.  As previously mentioned, the Diaspora was a significant topic at the summit, and thus the IIJD and the goals of the summit coincide on this matter.

This year’s African Union summit was important because it established the Accra Declaration.  Africans are now one step closer toward integration and, hopefully, a brighter future.  In order for integration to be most effective, however, leaders must be prepared to work together, consider each others’ differences in opinions, and be patient as this complex (but ultimately beneficial) process unfolds.