However, at the same time, unified government can prove to have disadvantages as the president's ultimate goal is to be reelected which would mean appealing to the moderates. The African Union is one of the world 's most dominant intergovernmental operations. You are extremely right the foreigners know Africa would be too powerful to control if united.I believe the author of this article is against the rise of an African power. South Sudan is the newest member of the African Union, joining on July 28, 2011, less than three weeks after it became an independent country. He tweets via @Ibrahim_Anoba. For africa first we must address debt. wester propaganda indeed. It has also provided military support and helped reform the security sector in Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Liberia. If there is $200 trillion in minerals in the soil, I could loan 10 times that to the people, initiate a giant works program building modern infrastructure across the continent stimulating trade making every citizen theoretically 2 million usd richer once done. Dying as a free man is better than living as a slave. Free trade amongst member countries. They threaten interstate and regional stability. All of these changes cant be stoped as they are tied to time and space. They threaten interstate and regional stability. The Organs of the AU The AssemblyComposed of Heads of State and Government or their duly accredited representatives. The OAU provides the arena within which common African policies are forged, or disputed, and where the tensions of inter-African relations can be released. Untill Africa is unify, you will never know what true freedom feels like. And how they were able to control the colonies. Division amongst African nations due to sovereignty 3. Read More Advantages Of Why Did The Union Win The Civil War 418 Words | 2 Pages Richard, Katherine Schulz. Following that, the organisation should work through regional economic communities and people at grassroots to end conflict. Poverty is still a tremendous problem. The advent of the African Union (AU) can be described as an event of great magnitude in the institutional evolution of the continent. The AU Parliament is the legislative body of the African Union and is composed of 265 officials who represent the common people of Africa. Categories . The African Union was formed after the dissolution of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 2002. GADDAFI was a pan-africanist. The main investigative branch of the gov would be the (United Lands Federal Guard). Financial practices like free trade, customs unions, and central banks are planned. Absence of a standing army: Another problem faced by the African Union is the fact that it lacks a standing or ready army which makes it difficult when it comes to enforcing political decisions of the unions. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Thanks. The African Union is a very important organization in the African continent and has over the years promoted unity among African nations and helped to improve economic development in Africa. But Swahili only has some 140 million speakers, which is less than 15 percent of the 1.2 billion population of the continent. Prominent conflicts by non-state actors include the Tuareg separatist and jihadist insurgencies in Mali, Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria, jihadist and militia insurgencies in Burkina Faso, al-Shabaab in Somalia, and the ethnic war in the Central African Republic. Nevertheless, the African Union should work through its regional organisations to play a role in these decisions. Or is our sorry state divided and dependent on the west and east sufficient for you? The Bloc would have similar laws and culture and would make the country easy to administer. China and India are often referenced as good replicas for Africa in this regard, but both countries owe their success to shared ancestral language among their people. Yes, there are lots of procedures required to get all the ingredients together, they are possibly all found in different places but with one motive and intention, we will and shall get all ingredients in place and mix them for our delicious bread. An African Union passport may exist one day. a baker does put bread in the oven as bread. They will just expand their sphere of influence over others. Then, unify under a common goals which was freedom. Whereas, imposing an alien language on a group, is an attempt to erase their identity. "African Union." Each state was to have equal powers and in most ways was to be independent of the other states. The upshot of such discourse shows that colonialism has divergent interpretations. The solution is simple. As they marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the African Union they swore to ensure lasting peace on the continent. The regional bloc occasionally gives early warnings of brewing conflicts in member states. Conversely, a strong company culture, where individuality encourages new thoughts, ideas, and collaborative efforts and collaborative efforts can move the organization forward. A bill has to pass through both houses of congress as well as the president before it can be an official law. They know I can make their home look better and work better. Africa is too diverse to be united. It makes no sense to suggest they all adopt a unilateral administrative pattern different from what they have known for thousands of years. I dont believe there are over two thousand languages. Financial issues: Insufficient finance is also another major problem that is presently bedeviling the African Union. we need to get rid of the mental shackles that are still in our mind, making us to believe that other races are great and supreme than us!! The document outlined 54 practical steps that needed to be taken. Most conflicts are generally centred on these areas: Sahel region, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Northern Nigeria, Chad, Sudan and Eritrea, Lake Chad area, including Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, Horn of Africa, including Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Kenya, and. I strongly believe in the Unity of our countries as it would give everyone an equal chance at freedom, prosperity, Justice, The African destiny and the trial by jury and many more constitutional rights. 2. The main objectives of the OAU were, inter alia, to rid the continent of the remaining vestiges of colonization and apartheid; to promote unity and solidarity among African States; to coordinate and intensify cooperation for development; to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States and to promote international cooperation within the framework of the United Nations.Indeed, as a continental organization the OAU provided an effective forum that enabled all Member States to adopt coordinated positions on matters of common concern to the continent in international fora and defend the interests of Africa effectively.Through the OAU Coordinating Committee for the Liberation of Africa, the Continent worked and spoke as one with undivided determination in forging an international consensus in support of the liberation struggle and the fight against apartheid. Here the African Union has no control over their growing presence because they come through bilateral agreements between member states and foreign powers. The African continent is working towards not only in peace as well as security, but is also blooming in areas such as culture; education; trade both in and out the African continent and continuing to place importance on the growth and empowerment of women. For example, it is conspicuously absent while bloody conflict escalated in Cameroon and Libya. Some of the major aims of the African Union include solving of the problem of the slow pace of economic development in the continent and to promote unity and solidarity among African countries. Not through another catastrophic political unification. House of chief instead of parliament Put in more . Its not fair and not right, people need to realize you fix your own back yard before you fix others. Though domestic, most of these conflicts tend to be cross-border in form. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, promoting peace, security, and stability in Africa, Economic Community of West African States, forced the despotic Yahya Jammeh to vacate office, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship. A unified government should seem to be more productive because enacting laws would be much easier. Some conflicts have been raging for decades. Some countries still had deep ties to its colonial masters. If Malema wants Africans to reject English and French because they demean their identities, then he should not be guilty of the same.. It would make the country much more governable. Leaders adopted masters methodology and ideology of leadership. However, looking at things calmly, it must be acknowledged that belonging to the franc zone is not devoid of all merit. This is one of the disadvantages of union involvement, since groupthink is essential to union success. Quest for Unity African countries, in their quest for unity, economic and social development under the banner of the OAU, have taken various initiatives and made substantial progress in many areas which paved the way for the establishment of the AU. Although the OAU gave weapons to rebels and was successful in eliminating colonization, it could not eliminate the massive poverty problem. INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENERGY (Energy, Transport, Communications, Infrastructure and Tourism)4. What Africa needs to work is for countries to allow more autonomy for local governments i.e., states, counties, provinces, etcetera, and prioritize multinational cooperation on the regional level, i.e., through ECOWAS, SADC, EAC, etcetera. Nigeria, for instance, has over 250 ethnic groups, just like there would be in the United States of Africa. Conflicts orchestrated by non-state actors accounted for over 75% of conflicts globally. African Union. Tourism and immigration are promoted, as well as better uses of energy and the protection of Africa's precious natural resources such as gold. Author of this article points out some potential challenges of the unification of Africa. The United lands would have a local, state and federal lvl government. The Permanent Representatives Committee is charged with the responsibility of preparing the work of the Executive Council. In conclusion, If I can move from Africa thousands of miles away to the U.S.A and not only live but thrive, I dont see why a Kenyan man or a woman cant move to any other African country and be able to live. Since the pledge was signed conflict in Africa has increased. Think of it, we have it all here, including diamonds, gold, oil and gas. The last AU summit failed to agree on the adoption of a continent-wide trade proposal, but awareness of the importance of trade barriers for economic growth is not lost as a development priority seeing that theme of the 19th summit, 9-16 July 2012, is Boosting intra-Africa trade. Brother what we have in common far exceeds what we dont. Our shining example is Rwanda that all dreams are possible when u believe in yourself and abilities. The remnants of the colonial powers 4. A trade union is an organisation which consists of members, including workers and union leaders who come together to protect and stimulate their common interests. Neither did it speak out against General Constantino Chiwenga, the coup leader, becoming the vice-president. The trade initiative will also diversify intra-African trade as it would encourage more industrial goods as opposed to extractive goods and natural resources. Even after the Portuguese left Angola, the Portugueses impact continued to shape Angola. The emerging conflict in the Cabo Delgado Province in Mozambique falls into this category. In the eyes of colonialist countries, that was impossible. Customs union eliminates the need for some regulations and customs checks at the border. Language barrier problems: The issue of language barriers has proven to be one of the biggest challenges of the Africa Union. We would also set high tariffs on imported goods inorder to support our own manufacturers. We can be more optimistic! I will even add that if it wasnt for Nigerias 99% Christian south, Nigeria would have turned into another Somalia. Products and services then become of better quality at a lower cost. We need to get our regional languages respected in the academic field. Others believe either federalism or confederalism would work better to preserve the autonomy of the numerous ethnic groups. This peculiarity is one reason centrally planned economic reforms in many African countries often fail to yield expected results among different tribes. Noteworthy among these are: Advent of the AUThe OAU initiatives paved the way for the birth of AU. The number of union jobs has been steadily declining. Among others, it represents the Union and defends its interests; elaborates draft common positions of the Union; prepares strategic plans and studies for the consideration of the Executive Council; elaborates, promotes, coordinates and harmonizes the programmes and policies of the Union with those of the RECs; ensures the mainstreaming of gender in all programmes and activities of the Union. Tel: +251 11 551 77 00 Some external world problems are the ones which divide us . Thirdly some countries internal problems will bleed over into other countries as will and turn Africa into a blood bath. We would also have a congress (council) that would make the Nations laws. It also brings inflation under better control, compared with most other countries on the continent. This term limit will stop tyranny on its head, and force everyone to depend on others. Mr. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, was appointed to lead the AU institutional reforms process. The most notable civil wars are those in Libya, South Sudan and the one waged by Anglophone Ambazonia separatists in Cameroon. Africa is bigger than all of us and I will want to leave it knowing generations to come will be masters of their destinies and not slaves to pre-existing doctrines and beurracracy. Linguistic history of India Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_history_of_India. Factor s kicking away unity should be delt with accordingly before uniting . The author is doing his job, addressing a huge issue and making it as contentious & controversial as possible. This is due to the fact that gov owned industries are always corrupt and not profitable for the common good.. My brothers and sisters,we are blessed.Our continent is full of minerals,oil, Rivers, Lakes,Oceans, Forests,wild animals,cool climate and many more benefits.But why is it like being born in Africa is a curse especially in rich-land Congo?why are the westerns benefiting from our land and not our or its children?infact the West should depend on us,not us to depend on them.They use our minerals to create missiles, nuclears and other atomic bombs and restrict us from creating armaments.They use our oil to run their industries,to fuel their rockets,to manufacture goods and sell back to us.The worst thing is that they use free minerals,free oil and free anything else they need from Africa.They achieve this through choosing their own leaders for Africans, deceptive aids which comes through neo-colonialism and mainly keeping Africa divided and always in civil wars.The only way out is a United Lands of Africa.Boundaries were set up by them, different languages french,English,Spanish,Italiano,,,these languages can not be barriers to unification,they were established by them, different economic activities isnt a problem.Infact that is what we need for employment for millions of children of the land.The greatest weapon against these people is our mind. The African Union is an organization that was established on July 10th 2002 in South Africa. Theres a precedent: the Southern African Development Community under the chairmanship of late Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa opposed the establishment of an American base in the region. Increased efficiency. Box 3243, Roosvelt Street W21K19 At a young age, we have been taught to never put our heads down in front of anyone even when facing death. It is antithetical to how Africans have lived for centuries. My question to those who against unification. Nigeria and the African Union (AU) are good examples. There has been one notable exception: the organisations refusal to countenance the coup in Sudan, and suspending the countrys membership in June 2019. African countries gain economically from hosting foreign military bases. The good thing about a free trade area is that it encourages competition, which consequently increases a country's efficiency, in order to be on par with its competitors. A myriad of non-tariff barriers to cross-border trade, characterised chiefly by long delays at border crossings and legal and illegal payments which increase transaction costs, is a major obstacle to expansion of intra-African trade. Over time, political and economic structures in Africa have changed continuously. The Portuguese began colonizing Angola in 1575 and the people of Angola were unable to regain their independence for four centuries. I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Our diversity is our strength. Promoting Africas growth and economic development by championing citizen inclusion and increased cooperation and integration of African states. My problem is their budget. This change is not only in the economic sector. Advantages of a customs union. It also wanted to promote peaceful solutions to conflicts, ensure sovereignty forever, and raise living standards. You can never archieve unless you try . Depending on the manufacturer, between 20% to 50% of the value of the supply chain is imported from the EU ( Sky News ). Official language is modified swahili (simpler) like the american English. Outsiders continue to take advantage of Africa like their playing ground. The ULA would provide freedom in such a case that everyone could have free passage throughout the lands of Mama Africa. Africa has the population to influence geopolitic in Europe and China. The leaders of the African Union work together to promote health, education, peace, democracy, human rights, and economic success. We need to start pushing and standardizing our own languages and making them more academic. True many have good intentions but after all most is controlled by their leaders and they dont have it at heart. Thats always the issue. Therefore, he or she might refuse to pass laws that are too liberal or conservative in order to keep the moderates happy. The transition from OAU to AU was clearly intended to transform the institutional framework for realizing the pan-African vision and mission from what some critics regarded as a mere talking shop to an action-oriented forum. I have seen we have some africans who are good for nonthing according to what they say. A myriad of non-tariff barriers to cross-border trade, characterised chiefly by long delays at border crossings and legal and illegal payments which increase transaction costs, is a major obstacle to expansion of intra-African trade. it will happen through thick and thin and commitment of the people who believe its beneficial to our people. Most advocates of a United States of Africa often propose a unitary system with one parliament and president. It is therefore useful to take stock of the achievements of the AU in its first decade and, this can best be done from two broad perspectives which represent the main goals of the AU mentioned above - peace and prosperity. Dont get me wrong Swahili should be learned to improve communication amongst us, but that should not come to undermine our own mother tongues.