[AU-Monitor] Peoples' Voices in the Grand Debate - Part 2

[Hakima Abbas]

Peoples’ Voices in the Grand Debate: CSO and Citizen Interviews on  
the Proposal for a Union Government

Saloman Kebede interviewed several African civil society leaders and  
citizens about the “Grand Debate on the Union Government” to be held  
at the June 2007 summit of the African Union.  The following  
interviews of Pastor Peter Omoragbon and Sanusi Ibraheem are part of  
a series of interviews, to be published in AU-Monitor, of African  
citizens and civil society leaders on the AU proposal for Continental  
Government. The interviews were conducted by the Pan Africa Programme  
of Oxfam in the corridors of a civil society meeting organized by UN- 
CONGO and FEMNET in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in the week of the 13th  
March 2007. Emily Mghanga of Oxfam’s Pan Africa Programme edited this  
interview. These interviews are also available at www.pambazuka.org/ 
aumonitor.

Please send comments to aumonitor.editor at gmail.com.


Continental Union Is Viable, But Only With Commitment And Practice
Interview with Pastor Peter Omoragbon, Executive Director of Nurses  
Across The Borders, a Nigerian working on disaster management and ICT.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current proposal? It is  
a workable proposal. A United States of Africa will mean Africa  
standing together with one voice, strength and unity. However, let us  
not have the United States of Africa in name only but in practice as  
well.

Should it be adopted in Accra in July 2007, what would you like to  
see the African Union Commission achieve within the first phase  
(2007-2009)? I would like to see all the structures and regulations  
set up and all heads of states fully committed to this process.

And why would this form of continental union be important to African  
citizens, particularly the poor and marginalized?  It is an attempt  
to bring us together despite the existence of diverse backgrounds  
across the continent. There will be greater unity when we capitalize  
on what unites us other than our differences. It will allow us to  
eliminate the mind-set that other countries are better or lesser than  
others. All African countries will stand with one voice!

How could states and non-states ensure that continental union efforts  
are transparent, participatory and driven by an appreciation of  
political and economic rights?  That is the work of the civil  
society. We need to monitor and keep the governments accountable to  
this and other commitments.

What obstacles must the AU overcome for the continental union to be  
successful? There is the need to put an end to internal conflicts  
within member-states. We also need to overcome bad policies that do  
not make decisions in the interests of marginalized people in every  
African country.

The views expressed here are the perspectives of the interviewee.  
Pastor Peter Omoragbon can be reached at Email:  
nursesacrosstheborders at yahoo.com




Give Room for Civil Society Participation Before Adoption
Interview with Sanusi Ibraheem, Ag. Executive Director, The  
Intellectual Group, Nigeria based in Ogbomoso, Nigeria and working on  
issues around youth development.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current proposal? The  
strength of the proposal is the fact that Africans will for the first  
time be uniting, very similar to the European Union. There will be  
free movement across the continent. Weakness- I hope we will not have  
weak institutional structures right from the start. That may give  
room for some lapses, which at the end of the day become too  
cumbersome. For instance we may be discussing things on the ground  
that we cannot accommodate.

Should it be adopted in Accra in July 2007, what would you like to  
see the African Union Commission achieve within the first phase  
(2007-2009)?  Give room for Civil Society participation in the  
process before the final adoption. If the reason the government is  
uniting structures is for the unity of the people of Africa, then the  
civil society most especially young people should be involved in the  
process. I hope that the first phase will be able to achieve the  
resolution of various crises in Africa especially, Sudan, Somalia/ 
Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Congo etc. If we are able to solve these crises,  
we will have taken the first and most important steps to economic  
emancipation.

And why would this form of continental union be important to African  
citizens, particularly the poor and marginalized?  When we adopt  
freedom of movement, for instance, we benefit from free information  
exchange and best practices that could be learn’t more easily and  
replicated in various other individual state. This will help us  
understand that, we are one and not northern African, western  
African, central African or southern African. The peer review  
mechanism is a good system to improve on a government weakness. A  
Continental Union will bring coherency and stability in our countries  
which is good for our economies and will consequently increase  
export, and impart more on local production and increase foreign  
exchange flows into Africa and ultimately will contribute to reducing  
the number of poor people living in Africa.

How could states and non-states ensure that continental union efforts  
are transparent, participatory and driven by an appreciation of  
political and economic rights?  Civil society organizations should be  
involved and consultations carried out widely across all segments of  
society. Each State should be encouraged to carry out sensitization  
workshops on the Union Government Proposal and ensure that all  
segments  of the society buys into it. This will bring a sense of  
ownership to all Africans and will see that it’s a collective  
responsibility. While involving all segments of the society in the  
process encourages the “buy in” needed to drive the process, it will  
also offer checks and balances on the other hand.

What obstacles must the AU overcome for the continental union to be  
successful? Let us do away with the afro-pessimistic attitude in our  
midst. Many of us strongly doubt the possibility of such a structure  
working out. Secondly, the intra-region crises should be curtailed if  
the process must succeed. With the right attitude and a safe  
environment to operate, there is no limit to Africa’s progress.

In what policy area, would you like to see greater convergence and  
unity across Africa and why? The economy. The strength of the economy  
is vital in the provision of basic needs to our people. We also need  
to change the political face, particularly in leadership and policy  
making.

The views expressed here are the perspectives of the interviewee.  
Sanusi Ibraheem can be reached at Email: Ibghandi2001 at gmail.com









  
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