By Olakunle Agboola – Africa has seen high levels of economic growth over the last decade, however that growth has had limited impact on boosting competitiveness and increasing the quality of life of ordinary people on the continent.
Weaknesses persist in the quality of institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic policies, education and adoption of new technologies, while there are big gaps between its highest and lowest ranked economies.
Africa will have to decide how and where it intends to pursue its future. Does it believe in regional markets and integration (to which it pays lip service) or does it wish to pursue the vision of grand, continental integration?
The OAU Charter of 1963 and the Constitutive Act establishing the African Union of 2000 define regional integration as one of the foundations of African unity. The Lagos Plan of Action and the Abuja Treaty elaborate the specific economic, political and institutional mechanisms for attaining this idea. The adoption of the more recent New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) provides an overall development framework for the continent, which assumes regional integration as one of its core objectives.
It is strongly believe that through strategies, policies, programmes and activities of regional integration, the fifty-four fragmented economies on the continent could be integrated into one strong, robust, diversified and resilient economy, supported by a first-class trans-boundary infrastructure; highly educated, flexible and mobile workforce; highly mobile financial capital; sound health facilities and peace and security.
In the post-independence period, integration has being a core element of the development strategy of African countries. The importance that African countries attach to regional integration has been reflected in the high number of integration schemes on the continent. The integration is geared towards empowering Africa to take its rightful position in the global economy.
With numerous countries, small economies, low population density and many landlocked nations, regional integration is absolutely pivotal to generating high rates of economic growth and development. Regional economic integration in Africa would mean that there is the unification of economic policies between different states through the partial or full abolition of tariff and non-tariff restrictions on trade.
Nevertheless, an increased number of African countries are undergoing a transition to democracy, whilst others languish under oppression, dictatorship and poverty. Far from the romantic image of uniformity and common ancestry, language and orientation, Africa presents a complex tapestry. Efforts to prospects for development, peace and security therefore often present different outcomes depending upon which way the prism is viewed.
Africa is divided. It has been difficult for Africans to take a common stand and the defeat and humiliation resulting from this disunity have not shocked Africans into necessary action yet. In recent times, Africa, having been overtaken, is now being left far behind as already strong economies are uniting to form yet stronger blocs while Africa seems not to understand the necessity of regional integration. Before the end of the cold war, it was fashionable to blame the superpowers, though the nonaligned movement had radical leaders who tended to associate more with the Eastern bloc. Now hegemonic power has being dispersed, though USA’s military edge over the other contenders, namely the EU, Japan and China, still leaves it very much in the lead. This should avail a generous selection of allies. Instead, Africa is finding fresh sources of hatred and divisions.
Also, the international system has been unfavourable to economic integration in Africa, and not supportive of efforts by Africa’s political leaders for economic integration. The international system has been such as to push them to open-market economics and export promotion policies which have resulted in placing access to markets of developed countries higher on the national agenda. Therefore agreements of integration or association with developed countries have enjoyed quite tremendous emphasis, perhaps to the prejudice of intra-Africa integration.
Africa’s integration is a necessity and the most important response to globalisation, although progress is painfully slow and the problem of countries belonging to different regional organisations needs to be resolved. If Africa is to prosper it will have to place much greater emphasis on substantive regional integration than in the past and it has to decide that economic progress trumps political solidarity. Some countries have made these choices (Botswana and Rwanda come to mind, as do others) but in many instances the work of good governance, building solid economic practices and the pursuit of rule of law languish far behind.
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