Africa Union's Agenda 2063 – Challenges and Opportunities

Dear Readers,

 The elements (visions) of Agenda 2063 is as follows: a prosperous Africa; an integrated continent; an Africa of good governance; a peaceful and secure Africa; an Africa with a strong cultural identity, shared heritage, values and ethics; and Africa as a strong, united and influential global player and partner. This is a strong vision statement, and like all other vision statements, it is not a prediction of what will actually happen nor a wish list, but it is what Africans believe is possible for our continent within this time frame.

In the business world, past performance is often a good guide to the future, and we predict the future by analyzing economic data, financial data, market data, and internal environment of targeted firms. The same is valid for countries and regions. Since the AU was officially launched in Durban, South Africa on July 10–12, 2002, we have seen concerted efforts by the leadership; especially under the guidance of Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to bring Africans together to work for peace, security, and stability for our beloved continent and its peoples. Nevertheless, AU's ability to effect the desired change is limited by the lack of requisite institutions and the many incompetent, nepotic and dictatorial regime juntas hiding under the principles of state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference to drag and hold Africa backwards.

Africa is seen as the continent that has the potential and opportunity to replace China as the world's engine of growth, but that Africans have to believe first in Africa. Africans have to grow in confidence that their individual and collective potentials can produce a prosperous self-reliant Africa in partnership with the rest of the world.

In the Abuja Treaty, the speedy establishment of institutions such as the African Central Bank, the African Monetary Union, the African Court of Justice and, the Pan-African Parliament was made a paramount objective. These and other formal and informal institutional barriers to trade are the bedrock for are prosperous Africa, The AU has been very slow in putting these institutions in place. Given that these institutions are the foundation of AU's organizational structure, any strategy that the AU embarks on will not deliver the intended results, for strategy is useless without an organizational structure capable of implementing it.

The AU imported from the OAU constitutive Charter, the principles of state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference by any Member State in the internal affairs of another is aimed at denying the AU the power it needed to function effectively. The AU can only recognize its full potential if it creates and sustain sound political, social, and economic institutions through which people operate, interact and compete. To this end, the AU must take the power from the Head-of-States and center it in Addis Ababa. Furthermore, some countries like Cameroon, Togo, Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea, Angola Burundi, with undemocratic and dictatorial juntas, should be kicked out of the Union and reply if they meet the conditions set forth by the Union. Dictators like Paul Biya of Cameroon is the reason the African Union cannot realize its full potential.

Africa is witnessing elevated levels of education, high rates of technological absorption, faster and cheaper communication, quicker and easier assess to information and improved integration with the global economy. Nevertheless, the past is preventing the continent from assuming its place in the global affairs.  As Africans, we need to break free from historical and ideological preconceptions and use our cultural distinctiveness and diversity as strengths to champion the world.

Augustine Enow Agbor

 

The outcome of my life is not more than three lines:
I was a raw material
I became mature and cooked
And I was burned into nothingness.
Rumi