LIBYAN LEADER Muammar Gadafy has a vision for a United States of Africa. Even if it is far from realisation, he managed to convince leaders of the African Union, meeting at a summit in his birthplace Sirte, that they should aim to co-ordinate policies on defence, security and trade negotiations. Although it is vague and aspirational, lacks executive authority and must be ratified by national parliaments this commitment does register a welcome desire to work more closely together.
The African Union was founded in 2002, taking over from the Organisation of African Unity. Some of its leading figures, including Mr Gadafy, have been influenced by the European Union’s structures and policies. But in truth it is a very different organisation. There is nothing to compare with the EU’s independent commission, majority voting council of ministers and directly-elected parliament. Nor are the competences in any way comparable, given the detailed divisions of labour between national and supranational levels spelled out in successive EU treaties. Rather is the AU an inter-governmental regional organisation dealing with continental problems.
Notwithstanding these differences several leading states such as South Africa and Nigeria resisted Mr Gadafy efforts to develop common policies for fear of prejudicing their own sovereignty and independent foreign policy. National armies are important political players in the continent’s affairs and are jealous of their authority. But Africa has several major conflict zones requiring a continental peacekeeping capacity and AU forces serve in a number of them. That reality helps to make a convincing case for more co-ordinated policies, procurement regimes and common troop deployments. There is real business to be done by a regional organisation.
The same applies to trade negotiations. Many individual African states have suffered from unbalanced agreements with more developed parts of the world, including the EU. They can certainly benefit from a more combined approach, even if that means sacrificing some elements of sovereignty. This needs to be co-ordinated more effectively with the national agricultural, food security and development policies also discussed at this summit. Growth has been cut back in many states, remittances from emigrant workers are down and so is aid from richer parts of the world. Africa has great economic potential, including much larger trade flows between its states and the AU has a role here too.