A PEOPLE-ORIENTED AFRICAN UNION
At the OAU Civil Society Conference
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 11-14 June, 2002
It is with great pleasure that I stand here today to address this distinguished gathering of soldiers of development. Your presence here today is a testimony to your unflinching support and believe in the future of our great continent.
With less than six weeks to the formal take off of the African Union, it is important that we address and confront a number of issues that continue to remain cogent in our daily lives as Africans and global citizens. These issues continue to question our ability to take charge of development in our continent, our economy, our politics and our livelihood. These issues not only put into question our ability to define our destiny, but whether we have the right to decide that destiny and also work for its realization.
Before moving far, let me first and foremost congratulate the organization of African Unity for organizing this consultative meeting with civil society organisations in Africa. Sometimes, it is in a forum of this nature that one gets to feel the pulse of the people and their frame of mind. I remain grateful to the organizers, for this opportunity to address this important meeting of development workers and agents of policy advocacy on the continent. Indeed the success of the meeting is a demonstration of the new spirit of cooperation among the organisers and the desire of regional bodies to work together with civil society organizations in Africa in order to tackle the problems facing our continent in a reasonable, responsive, coordinated and efficient manner.
Standing here today brings back nostalgic feelings of some 20 odd years of my involvement with development work and civil society organizations as the founding chairman of Africa Leadership Forum. That opportunity, I must say, has given me a unique advantage of observing and appreciating issues from a number of significant perspectives. First as a soldier fighting to keep peace in the continent, and then as a head of state, secondly, as an ordinary citizen of Africa involved with a civil society organization, and then later from behind bars, and now as a democratically elected President of my country Nigeria, working closely with other brother colleagues to move our beloved continent forward.
The last three years have provided me with an instructive appreciation of the beauty of civil society partnerships with governments. Like I have said somewhere before, the smallest non-governmental organization is the family, and it is from here that much of the most important decisions are hatched. Much as the "third wave" of democratization hit the continent of Africa, dislodging entrenched totalitarianism and despotism in majority of African countries is said to have originated from external developments, such as the fall of communism and pressure from foreign donors. The reality, however, is that it was the resourcefulness, dedication, and tenacity of the continent's nascent civil society organizations that initiated and sustained the process of democratic opening and political liberalization.
This is commendable and praiseworthy, but you have more ground to cover, and rather than slow down, I urge you as a very special group to begin to search inwards and everywhere to come up with strategies to substantially increase the tempo, for until the reins of poverty, underdevelopment, bad governance, disease and general social insecurity is totally stemmed and stamped out, your job, and indeed mine, remains uncompleted.
Let me jolt your memories a little. During the period since the mid 1970s almost all African states experienced a protracted interruption in their social development, a net increase in the poverty of their people and the nation itself, and – perhaps therefore inevitably – an increase in domestic political instability and vulnerability to external pressures. Indeed the decade of the 1980's have been described as a lost decade for Africa’s development. New conflicts either emerged or simmered between African states, as instability and internal disputes spilt over our artificial borders. As we all know, all these have cumulatively had disastrous effects on the lives of hundreds of millions of Africa’s people.
The tragic consequences also include the fact that our partners lost confidence in us, as much as we lost confidence in ourselves. And before long, our brains were drained out, our fertile fields became battle fields, top media stories on Africa were either that of war or that of disease and famine.
Fortunately, a few arose under civil society banners in an effort to bring restore HOPE. Their activities, against a backdrop of emerging globalization prompted the question: Can Africa lay any claim to the 21st Century?
Before now, African civil society organizations have been at the forefront of a protracted struggle between them and the custodians of the instrument of state to implement some of the initiatives that emanated from extensive talks and deliberations among them and government officials and regional organizations.
Permit me to congratulate all of you on your hard work as it is finally paying off, because African Leaders have decided to create space for effective engagement of the Civil Society Organizations in Africa in the implementation of our home grown initiatives, such as the Conference on Security, stability, Development and cooperation in Africa (CSSDCA), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), and the African Union.
Changes in the continent
Africa must respond and is indeed responding to international and African changes. This is paramount if its peoples are not to find themselves even worse off than they have been, and even less capable of determining their own future.
Needless to say that Africa is inextricably a part of the world – a world dominated economically, socially, politically, and militarily, by the developed nations. Neither the peoples nor the governments of Africa have any measurable influence on what happens in international relations in any sphere, particularly not in the areas of economics, science and technology, or political relations between other states. Yet, all such changes have immense implications for Africa.
It has been observed that one of the critical factors of failure that has retarded the growth and development of Africa is the inability of African leaders to implement regional policy initiatives, commitments, protocols, conventions and other legally binding agreements many of which have great potentials for the transformation of the continent. This was part of the strategic thinking that informed the adoption of both the CSSDCA process and NEPAD initiatives.
The Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation in Africa (CSSDCA)
More than anything else, or any institution for that matter, the success of the CSSDCA initiative, its adoption in a solemn declaration by the OAU Heads of States and Governments and its application in New Partnership for Africa's Development is a testimony of the success of the Civil Society Organizations in Africa and the extent you can go in making inputs. There is no doubt, given the course of events in Africa over the past decade; peace, security, stability, development and cooperation are closely linked. One cannot exist without the other. If we must pursue one of these important goals, we automatically affect and depend upon the others.
Recounting the processes of the CSSDCA initiative, I am constrained to draw your attention again to the strengths of the initiative. As a process, the CSSDCA reflects the inter-linkage between peace, stability, development, integration and cooperation. It creates a synergy between the various activities currently undertaken by the African continent and would therefore help to consolidate the various critical issues relating to peace, security, stability, development and cooperation. It provides a policy development and coordinating forum for the elaboration and advancement of common values within the main policy organs of the OAU/AU.
The interactive approach embedded in the CSSDCA initiative is expected to provide an invaluable tool for the pursuit of the Africa’s millennium agenda for stability and sustainable development.
There are seven fundamental unique attributes in the CSSDCA process. These are:
Ø The priviledge of being a standing Conference of the OAU/AU that will convene every two years to give a report the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Africa during the OAU Summit;
Ø It provides strategic guide and road map for sustainable development through subscription to a set of common values and measurable performance indicators;
Ø It is a mechanism for monitoring and evaluation of development performance of African states which NEPAD has also identified as very important in its implementation plans;
Ø It makes for openness and transparency through the involvement of Civil Society Organisations both in the implementation and the periodic review process;
Ø It provides basis for integration of a regional policy initiatives into the national legislations which in fact gives the parliamentarians critical role in the overall implementation of the CSSDCA process;
Ø It provides institutional framework and linkages between the national institutions (National CSSDCA Focal Point) and the regional central political organ (OAU/AU through the CSSDCA Unit),
Ø
Furthermore, the principles and the plans of action of CSSDCA as enshrined in the Solemn Declaration provides a holistic framework for the strengthening of existing organs and policies of OAU/AU such as the Mechanism on Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution and the Early Warning System
For you in the Civil Society, the CSSDCA recognizes that the Civil Society Organizations are a force for positive change in Africa’s transition process. African Civil Society Organizations, according to the general principles governing the CSSDCA should be regarded as partners in consolidating the gains of democracy and attaining the goals of socio-economic transformation. They are expected to prepare their input to the Standing conference of CSSDCA every two years as part of the overall monitoring and evaluation mechanism referred to above.
The New Partnership For Africa’s Development
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is the latest attempt by African leaders to re-invigourate the socio-economic development efforts in Africa. In the past, several initiatives have been initiated to support the development of Africa.
NEPAD is a holistic, comprehensive integrated strategic framework for the socio-economic development of Africa. The NEPAD document provides the vision for Africa, a statement of the problems facing the continent and a programme of action to resolve these problems in order to reach the vision.
The primary objective is to eradicate poverty in Africa and to place African countries both individually and collectively on a path of sustainable growth and development to, thus, halt the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process.
The principles upon which NEPAD is anchored are as follows:
7. African ownership and Leadership;
8. Placement of the redevelopment of the continent on the resources and resourcefulness of the African people;
9. Acceleration and deepening of regional and continental economic integration;
10. Building the competitiveness of African countries and the continent;
11. New partnership with the industralised world.
Although NEPAD is premised on the determination of Africans to extricate themselves and the continent from the malaise of underdevelopment and exclusion in a globalizing world, it is also a call for a new relationship of partnership between Africa and the international community, particularly the highly industrialized countries, to overcome the development chasm that has widened over centuries of unequal relations.
NEPAD is an on-going process and we do appreciate the contribution of the civil society organizations to its evolution and eventually to its implementation. We must all keep the enthusiasm the NEPAD has generated and convert same to action. I would like to reiterate that much of what Africa has today gained in the areas of political and social sphere have been derived from the direct influence of civil society organizations. This attitude should continue.
Let us bear un mind that much of the speed with which economic and political integration of Africa would be achieved, would to a large extent, be determined by the elbowroom given to private initiative.
The Way Forward
Indeed, the Solemn Declaration of CSSDCA, the NEPAD initiative and the African Union offers a comprehensive set of general and specific principles that would govern the framework of intra and extra African relationships in terms of Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation. The task before civil society organizations is how to utilize the various opportunities within these initiatives to make their contribution to ECOSOC in the Africa Union, compliance and performance monitoring as expected within the Standing Conference of CSSDCA and the Plan of Action of NEPAD.
Also, you must continue to improve your knowledge of one another and deepen your collective awareness of the pivotal role that you must play in fostering democratic governance in Africa This greater knowledge and deeper insight promise to bear fruit in the form of greater cooperation, assertiveness, confidence, and perhaps efficacy on your part as civil society organizations.
The Constitutive Act of the African Union recognizes the need to build partnership between governments and all segments of the Civil Society, in particular women, youths and the private sector, in order to strengthen the solidarity and cohesion among the African people. In this regard, I urge you to let the diversities inherent in your differences to be your strength, let your activism be your fuel, and you must remain resolute.
The onus is for you as members of the Africa Civil Society Organizations to ensure and monitor the execution of regional programmes. You must ensure that the African populace maximizes their gains from our efforts.
You must ensure Africa’s unity with a sense of purpose, vision, mission and determination. Your roles as Civil Society Organizations will be at the core of our success. We cannot expect our continent to succeed and prosper if crisis persists in our homes, our communities, among our countries, and within Civil Society Organizations. This is the only way to ensure an important and successful African Union to be shared by all.
We can - and must - do better!
I thank you.