Remembering 50 Years Of Unity

The defunct Organisation of African Unity, OAU - today known as the African Union, AU - last May celebrated its Golden Jubilee at its headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The AU Commission Chair, Dr Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma, in the following interview talks about her first year in office since her election on July 15, 2012. She also revisits the triumphs and challenges of the organisation in the last 50 years and casts a glance into the continent's future by 2063.

How have you found your job as AU Chairperson since election on July 15, 2012?

For the time that I have been in the position, working relationships with Heads of State have been very good and profitable. I have received support from the two Chairpersons of the Union thus far and remain inspired by the determination of the Leaders of Government and Heads of State who have developed an important road map towards 2063 through the medium- term strategic plan.

It has also been a period of learning, accelerated by the able and talented Commissioners and staff at the African Union Commission. In short, our approach is teamwork because only through working together can we realise our long-term goals.

The African Union on May 25, 2013 celebrated its Golden Jubilee. Why the theme, "Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance"?

The unity of Africa has always been the main doctrines of Pan-Africanism. These ideals have inspired successive generations of people such as Edward Blyden, to George Padmore, W.E.B. Dubois, Frantz Fanon and Ali Mazrui, to the OAU founders - Kwame Nkrumah, Ahmed Sekou Toure, Ahmed Ben Bella and Julius Nyerere. For generations of Pan-Africanist leaders and movements, Pan-Africanism was more than just a cultural and social philosophy. Their political struggles gave real meaning to Pan-Africanism.

Over the generations, this core concept of Pan-Africanism has not changed. This does not mean that Pan-Africanism is static. Nor, does it mean that it has ill-adapted to today's realities. The essence of Pan-Africanism is dynamic and has evolved with time. Older generations desired freedom and emancipation the same way Amilcar Cabral, Nelson Mandela, Kenneth Kaunda, Patrice Lumumba and founders of the liberation movements across Africa did. The OAU was founded mainly to fight for the total liberation of African from colonialism, oppression and Apartheid. Those goals were achieved, leading to the transformation to the AU.

Fifty years on, what remains to be done to achieve OAU's goals?

As we reflect back, we see that the continent and the issues today are totally different from what they were 50 years ago. We had colonial masters, there was imperialism and the scourge of Apartheid was still raging. The times were tough. We were second-class humans, and called names, the Dark Continent, the Lost Continent, etc. These are the things that inspired the founders of the then Organisation of African Unity to fight for self-determination. The liberation struggle was more important at the time than anything else. We wanted freedom.

And so, when Namibia gained its independence and Apartheid ended in my home country, South Africa in 1994, we turned onto a new chapter in our journey; satisfied that the OAU, despite its challenges, had realised its objectives. It therefore became necessary to transform the OAU into the African Union. This happened in Durban, South Africa in 2002. We should look more to the future with conviction, determination and hope. Already, there are signals that indicate to us that Africa is on the right path, with the economies of the fastest growing African nations experiencing growth significantly above the global average rates. With average GDP growth being in excess of 5 per cent over the past decade and Africa having six of the top ten fastest growing economies in the world, we believe that Africa is winning.

How do you assess Africa's progress over the years?

Of course, yes. The jubilee anniversary comes at a time when a number of developments in the continent are a cause for optimism. Africa has seen sustained growth of 5 per cent over the last decade, accounting for some of the fastest economies in the world, with a growing middle class now numbering over 300 million. The continent also received its largest ever share of global Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in 2011, growing by 27 per cent, pushing its share of the world's investment to almost a quarter.

Investments by Africans in Africa as a proportion of total number of FDI projects more than doubled, and in 2011, they accounted for 17 per cent of all new FDI projects. Infrastructure development is amongst the key sectors driving growth in the continent, especially in ICT, but also in other sectors such as transport and energy. African telephone connectivity grew 20 per cent per annum between 2006 and 2010, and the continent became the second largest mobile market in the world after Asia, with about 620 million mobile connections. Currently, the mobile phone industry represents 3.5 per cent of Africa's GDP and employs over five million people. And we can go on.

But some of the challenges prevalent in 1963 such as coups, leadership disputes, etc persist.

These are still serious challenges. Over 90 per cent of our countries are now experiencing peace as opposed to the picture in the 1970s and 1980s. The AU has proven that it is ready and up to the task. We now have very key normative instruments in place to deter and reduce conflicts. More than ever before, the Union is taking some drastic measures. If you followed the news recently, three of our Member States were barred from participating in the OAU/AU celebrations. The Union took a strong stance against Madagascar on May 17, 2013 regarding its planned elections. Such actions were inconceivable in 1963. We are raising the standards as we progress. Instability and conflict can bring a country 30 years backward. Efforts are now geared toward systematic and structural prevention. The preventive approach lays emphasis on operationalizing our Peace and Security Architecture with components like the African Standby Force, the Panel of the Wise, the Continental Early Warning System, etc.

What of priority projects that are yet to go fully operational?

Quite a lot of our problems are economic. With determined collaboration, we are working very hard to have these systems in place. As a Commission, we are ready to support them. With a continental agenda, we are busy explaining to the Member States where we stand to gain. Most of these projects are in the pipeline. Our challenge is not in the policy arena, but rather with speedy and accelerated implementation. That is why we have deliberately reached out to all sectors in our society, particularly the private sector, civil society and trade unions, because we understand that we have a shared and common destiny, which will require that we all act in unison.

What becomes of the United States of Africa project after the death of Muammar Gaddafi?

You know leaders like Nkwame Nkrumah and Gaddafi came and met the Pan-Africanism, and they passed it on to the next generation. Those around today will continue to pass it on to the next generation. You will therefore note that we have adopted the phrase, "One Africa - for prosperity and peace" to contextualize that only through a united Africa can we ensure shared prosperity and lasting peace. So, whether you call it the United States of Africa project or total regional integration, we remain clear and determined that we must facilitate African unity which requires improved and free movement of persons and goods.

Are you not worried that about 96 per cent of AU's funding is from external partners?

Oh yes, we consider all this as a point of concern. That is why the Heads of State and Government have tasked President Olusegun Obasanjo to explore alternative sources of funding for the Union and its programmes. Already, the draft report has been tabled to the African Union and we look forward to the Union guiding us on implementing these key and innovative proposals. In our view, they also integrate and inform a partnership-oriented outlook which is based on finding authentic African solutions for and by Africa. Finding African solutions to African problems can be properly done with adequate African resourcing.