Africa Union is losing its relevance
Africa Day is a celebration of African unity across Africa. On the 25th of May every year Africans celebrate Africa Day knowing that they are free from the bondage of colonization and apartheid. I remember reciting the poem “Founding Fathers of the OAU We Salute You” when I was still in primary school. It was a wonderful poem.
In 1999 African leaders made a Declaration for the formation of the African Union with the view to accelerating the process of integration in the continent, to enable it play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems compounded as they are by certain negative aspects of globalization. The changing of the organization’s name did not change African problems as right now the African continent is riddled with conflicts, famine, human rights abuses and under-development. Recently North Africa was at the epicenter of conflicts and the masses took to the streets denouncing poor leadership. Lives were lost on the streets and the African Union failed to come up with concrete resolutions. The intervention of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Libya and Ivory Coast exposed the AU and left many people asking whether African problems should be solved with African remedies. The hard won independence by South Sudan was short lived as the battle for the vast oil reserves with Sudan rages on. Regional bodies like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has proved to be much more effective than the AU in trying to solve political impasses that had erupted in the West Africa region
Southern Africa has not been spared either as evidenced by the continued human rights abuses by the member states. Governments of National Unity are now the order of the day in Africa as the rule of law and the will of the people no longer counts. Most governments continue to rely on donor funding for sustenance and food aid to avert hunger. The African Union’s new headquarters where the African leaders converged on the 25th of May was built using funds from the Chinese government. Africa has become the dumping of foreign products especially from our friends from the East. Sub-standard goods have flooded African markets resulting in the shutting down of local industries. Africa’s participation in the global village is facing challenges due to the fact that the continent continues to export unprocessed goods. Poor remuneration has resulted in massive brain drains across the continent. HIV and Aids has also taken its toll in Africa. Each year passes and more problems continue to affect Africa while the continental body loses its relevance.