Today is AU day, a milestone that was the vision of the Osagyfor, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, is being celebrated by African governments. I wish to share some thoughts with you, though not fully comprehensive, intended to spark further debate.
This day seeks to commemorate the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. The OAU was later transformed into the African Union on July 9th 2002 in South Africa.
The theme for this year’s commemoration is arts, culture and heritage as levers of development.
This year’s celebration is being conducted against a back-drop of a myriad of challenges on the continent.
In The Gambia, governance continues to be negatively impacted by widespread institutional apathy towards national development priorities, lack of critical reforms, oblique approach to development issues, high youth unemployment, and a citizenry that acquiesced to the culture of political patronage, etc. Insecurity – fear grips communities all over with unsatisfactory response from the State and the rise of mob justice/vigilantism.
Further, massive uncertainties relating to election year preparations continue to unsettle the political class. Post covid recovery remains sluggish with conflicting macroeconomic goals being exhibited by the Ministry of Finance. And more.
Within the Region, insecurity and poor economic performance underline efforts at all levels. The Tigray conflict in Ethiopia led to the death of hundreds of thousands of civilians with resulting massive IDPs. The brewing conflict between Ethiopia against Sudan and Egypt over the Nile remains a source of grave concern.
Mali remains the worsening insecurity in the sahel while Nigeria is gripped by the Boko Haram insurgency and separatist claims by Niger Delta militants. Burkina Faso and Niger continue to battle terrorists.
Elsewhere, Chad is tottering on the brink of internal armed resistance that saw its former ruler dead, replaced by his son.
Sub-saharan Africa faces humongous challenges. Yet there are positive and encouraging stories with some of the fastest growing economies in the continent.
Also these crises in Africa must be African led solutions. Just last week, African leaders raced to Paris, France looking for economic solutions to post Covid recovery. The proposal to raise SDR from 33 billion to 100 billion Dollars by that summit would further increase our dependence on foreign multilateral institutions designed to keep us impoverished and permanently debt ridden.
Unless we take the gauntlet, commit to sacrifice for the ordinary African in the interest of Africa, the colonialists who are the original architects of our misfortunes, are the wrong resort to cushion our collective malaise.
Unless we impose our will on our leaders to put people at the centre of development design implementation; adopt a human rights approach to development planning; unless we focus on politics of issues and performance delivery, instead of blind partisan support based on distorted realities, Africa’s renaissance shall remain a pipe dream.
Mai Ahmad Fatty, Secretary-General and leader of the Gambia Moral Congress.
