A plan against despair

2004-07-12 09:41

Desmond Thompson

Addis Ababa - On a continent where there is a stark contrast between suffering and hope, African leaders dare to dream and work on solutions.

Amid the reality of continuing conflict, poverty and human suffering all over Africa, the African Union (AU), at its third annual meeting in the Ethiopian capital, was striving to achieve real progress to reach its goal of a united, peaceful and prosperous continent.

Doctor Alpha Oumar Konare, chairperson of the AU commission - the organisation's permanent secretariat - presented an ambitious plan for Africa's development. The three volumes set out the organisation's vision and its plans for realising it in detail.

At the same time, the newly formed peace and security council of the AU voiced strong opposition to conflict situations in, among others, the Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ruanda and the Ivory Coast.

However, the question begs whether the AU is doing enough - here and now - to ensure a better future for all Africans.

Forceful intervention

The millions of people facing starvation and disease in the refugee camps in war-torn Sudan would probably want more forceful intervention than the AU's current actions.

The AU deployed observers to monitor a ceasefire for humanitarian aid and a small protection force of 300 soldiers to protect the observers and build trust for refugees to return.

However, the AU is mainly focused on political mediation to reach a solution to the conflict at this stage. Diplomatic pressure was brought to bear on the Sudanese president, for example, to act against armed gangs allegedly waging a war of terror with government support.

Konare also initiated talks with warring factions in Sudan and neighbouring Chad, launched a peace process between the government of Sudan and the Darfur rebels, facilitated meetings between the DRC and Burundi as well as between warring factions in the Ivory Coast.

The AU does not yet have a permanent military force to maintain peace in conflict areas, but it is working on an encompassing defence policy for its 53 member states and plans to establish a military intervention force in each of its five regions by 2010.

The is typical of the difference between the old Organisation for African Unity, which focussed on colonialism and apartheid but did not interfere across national borders, and the AU, which wants to unite Africa into a single political and economic authority.

The road to political unity

Konare's plan sets 2030 as a target date and envisions a single African trade block and currency. Like the European Union (EU), the plan is for economic unity to pave the way for political alliance.

Konare's three-year plan will cost $1.7bn, an average of $571m per year - much more than the AU's transition budget of $43m per year. No wonder that the executive council recommended that financial experts first study the budget before it is approved.

But the summit of heads of state, which started on Tuesday and ran until Thursday, was not alarmed by the large amount Konare asked to ensure real progress. President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal suggested, for example, that the AU looks at other ways, such as levies and taxes, to raise money to meet its budget rather than rely on contributions from member countries.

Eventually, it will depend on whether African leaders have the political will to co-operate. There are indications that this is happening.

The New Partnership for African Development (Nepad), which focuses on good governance, is now an official AU project. Konare's plan supports the idea of Nepad that Africa is responsible for its own future.

Lots of money for upliftment, peace

Peace and security as well as socio-economic development seem to be the AU's priorities. It is no coincidence that the bulk of Konare's budget (about 70%) is allocated to Nepad and a fund for peace and security. This is because the need for upliftment and peace is so great.

The AU is realistic about Africa's problems. Millions of people fight against poverty and diseases such as Aids, malaria and tuberculosis to survive every day.

Poor healthcare, armed conflict and political stability claim hundreds of thousands of lives and create millions of refugees, while human rights are still abused in many countries.

The AU is not afraid to dream, but President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique had a warning as he handed over the organisation's reigns to President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria: "It is not enough to say that this is Africa's century. It is imperative that we work ceaselessly on our development projects."

- Media24 Africa