Can there be an African Union Government without African Citizenship?

The short answer is no. Establishing a government without citizens would generate a new meaning for the phrase ‘limited government’. Who would an African Union (AU) government govern, if not African citizens? But we should locate this debate in its proper context. May 25th is Africa day. A day set aside to commemorate Africa. Not withstanding the fact that we should commemorate Africa every day, for historical reasons Africa day falls on this date ostensibly to memorialise the creation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on 25th May 1963.

It is often assumed that the process of continental integration begun with an Extra-ordinary Summit of the OAU convened in Sirte, Libya, in 1999, that led to the formation of the AU. In fact, the process begun with the Pan-Africanism with its commitment to African solidarity and it campaign for equality, political, social, cultural, and economic self-determination. Pan-Africanism is more of a movement than an ideology and the emergence of the OAU on the 25th May represents the imperfect institutionalisation of the ideals of Pan-Africanism. The emergence of the African Union, in July 2002, also represented the next evolutionary leap in the institutionalisation of Pan-Africanism.

Therefore it is appropriate on Africa Day to reflect on the debate that has been raging on the prospects for further continental integration and the impending discussions on the Union Government Project. During the 8th Ordinary Session of Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 29 to 30 January 2007, the decision was taken to devote the next summit meeting, or the 9th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU in July 2007, in Accra, Ghana, to an elaborately titled “Grand Debate on the Union Government” or the so-called United States of Africa. From 8 to 9 May 2007, the Executive Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs met in Durban, South Africa to brainstorm on the state of the Union and the prospects for continental integration. The groundwork has therefore been laid for discussions to take place in Accra about the direction that the AU should take.

We could question whether it is indeed appropriate and realistic to be debating a Union Government at this time. Have AU member states mastered the art of rudimentary unification? Do they yet speak with a unified voice and act based on a common purpose? To add to this casserole of doubt the continent is still afflicted by so many other problems and challenges from conflict, to underdevelopment and inadequate public health services. Ultimately, by adding a pinch of scepticism about the genuine political will of AU member states to pool their sovereignty, it seems that the ‘Grand Debate’ may be no more than a storm in a tea cup, much-ado-about-not-very-much. But perhaps this is a bit dismissive.

Or is it? To what extent are the majority of African people aware that this debate is going on? If they are not aware, who is having this conversation on their behalf? How can a Union Government Project succeed if it does not have the by-in and the support of the people of Africa? Can there be an African Union Government without African Citizenship? Where are the African citizens in this debate? More questions than we care to answer. To be fair the AU will convene from 28 to 30 May an all-inclusive continental consultation on the Union Government Project, at its headquarters in Addis Ababa, as part of the preparations towards the Accra meeting.

Despite the tone of the critique above, this author has to declare an interest and state that he is firmly installed in the Afro-optimist camp. In the final analysis, the Grand Debate on the Union Government is indeed welcome. The injunction that the great Pan-Africanist Kwame Nkrumah left us with is still valid: “Africa must Unite, or disintegrate individually”. Somehow the Grand Debate captures this spirit and could be viewed as only the latest incarnation of an attempt to institutionalise Pan-Africanism. Understanding the motivations between Pan-Africanism will help us to understand this Grand Debate. But it is also appropriate to question whether the Union Government of Africa Project will be built on a solid enough foundation to realise the aspirations of Pan-Africanism and improve the well-being of Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora. The past in this sense is influencing the present, it remains to be seen whether it will ultimately inform the future.

Dr. Tim Murithi is a Senior Researcher in the Direct Conflict Prevention Programme, at the Institute for Security Studies, Addis Ababa.