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Towards a Union Government for Africa TOWARDS A UNION GOVERNMENT FOR AFRICA CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES EDITED BY TIMOTHY MURITHI ISS MONOGRAPH SERIES • No 140, JANUARY 2008 CONTENTS PreFACE v Kenneth Mpyisi, Institute for Security Studies, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ACKnoWLEDgemenTS vii ABOUT The AUThors viii ABBreViaTions anD ACronYms x ChapTer 1 1 Introduction: Contextualising the debate on a Union Government for Africa Dr Tim Murithi, Institute for Security Studies, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia PART ONE 11 A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR A UNION GOVERNMENT FOR AFRICA ChapTer 2 13 Portrayal of a possible path to a single government for Africa Dr Admore Kambudzi, African Union Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ChapTer 3 29 The challenges of accelerating economic and political integration in the formation of a Union Government The late Professor Kinfe Abraham, Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia PART TWO 43 ENGAGING WITH THE ACCRA DECLARATION ChapTer 4 45 Reflections on the 2007 Accra Grand Debate on a Union Government for Africa Delphine Lecoutre, Independent Consultant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ii Towards a Union Government for Africa: Challenges and Opportunities ChapTer 5 61 The relationship between states and an African Union Government Professor Ismail Fall, University of Dakar, Senegal ChapTer 6 69 Rationalising regional economic communities and implementing the treaty establishing the African Economic Community: The role of parliaments Marilyn Aniwa, Parliamentary Centre, Accra, Ghana ChapTer 7 79 Identifying the domains of competence and the possible impact of the establishment of a Union Government on the sovereignty of states Irungu Houghton, Oxfam, Nairobi, Kenya ChapTer 8 91 Financing the activities of a Union Government for Africa: Experiences, challenges and prospects Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, Institute for Democratic Governance, Accra, Ghana ChapTer 9 105 From roots to branches: The African Diaspora in a Union Government for Africa Hakima Abbas, Fahamu, Nairobi, Kenya ChapTer 10 123 Civil society perspectives on a Union Government for Africa Désiré Assogbavi, Oxfam, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ChapTer 11 133 Mainstreaming gender in the proposed Union Government for Africa Roselynn Musa, African Women’s Development and Communication Network, Nairobi, Kenya PART THREE 145 INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR FOSTERING AN AFRICAN UNION GOVERNMENT ChapTer 12 147 The use of African Union specialised technical committees as a foundation for a Union Government for Africa Ambassador Msuya Mangachi, Former Permanent Representative of Tanzania to the African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Edited by Timothy Murithi iii ChapTer 13 161 Utilising the management of natural resources to forge a Union Government for Africa Chrysantus Ayangafac, Institute for Security Studies, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ChapTer 14 171 An African constitution? Ten hypotheses of what it should include Professor Maurice Tadadjeu, African Civil Society Organisations, Yaoundé, Cameroon ChapTer 15 183 Conclusion: The prospects for a Union Government for Africa Dr Tim Murithi, Institute for Security Studies, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia v PREFACE The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) is an independent and non-profit applied policy research organisation with a focus on human security in Africa. Its mission is to conceptualise, inform and enhance the security debate on the continent and internationally. The ISS has offices in Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Nairobi and Pretoria. It recognises that conflict prevention and peace-building are fundamental principles of the African peace and security agenda. Efforts to anticipate and resolve disputes are intrinsic components of this agenda and the ISS Direct Conflict Prevention Programme (DCP), in Addis Ababa, was established to enhance conflict prevention strategies. The DCP also strives to contribute to policy development on continental integration and this monograph is a contribution to that objective. Prior to the 9th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held in Accra, Ghana, from 1 to 3 July 2007, the DCP commissioned and undertook thematic studies on issues pertaining to the ‘Grand Debate on Union Government’. Eight policy-oriented research papers were produced to influence policy debates and consultations on a Union Government for Africa. On 27 July 2007 the DCP launched these papers at a seminar entitled ‘Towards the United States of Africa?’ held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra, Ghana. At the conclusion of the 9th Ordinary Session the AU Assembly issued the Accra Declaration. The ISS DCP subsequently commissioned additional papers to assess the issues outlined by the Accra Declaration. These papers were presented at a two-day seminar entitled ‘Towards a Union Government of Africa: Challenges and opportunities’, held at the Hilton Hotel in Addis Ababa on 11 and 12 October 2007. Following the deliberations at the seminar, the authors edited their papers, which have now been compiled into this monograph. As part of the ISS mandate to develop policy-relevant research, this monograph addresses the proposals and recommendations stipulated in the Accra Declaration. This involves identifying the areas on which African countries, regional economic communities (RECs), civil society and the AU should focus in order to lay the foundation for the formation of a Union Government. vi Towards a Union Government for Africa: Challenges and Opportunities This text provides a valuable resource in terms of advancing understanding of the challenges and opportunities of continental integration in Africa. It will also be made available on our website (www.issafrica.org) for consultation by AU officials, AU member states and policy-makers, as well as other educational, training and policy institutions. I hope that this publication will prove to be useful and stimulating to its readers. Kenneth Mpyisi Director, ISS Addis Ababa Office Programme Head, Direct Conflict Prevention Programme Institute for Security Studies Addis Ababa, Ethiopia vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The ISS Direct Conflict Prevention Programme would like to thank all the authors and participants who attended the Expert Roundtable on the theme ‘Towards a Union Government of Africa: Challenges and opportunities’ that took place at the Hilton Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 11 and 12 October 2007. This book benefited from research assistance provided by Mohammed Keita and Serekebrhan Fiquremariam. In addition, colleagues in the ISS Direct Conflict Prevention Programme assisted in the production of this book, including Kenneth Mpyisi, Chrysantus Ayangafac, Lydia Wambugu, Yemissrach Tadesse, Seyoum Wubshet, Tesfaye Tadesse, Sanatek Haile, Sahlu Mintesnot, Madher Adamsu and Meaza Ambaye. The ISS Direct Conflict Prevention Programme would also like to thank the following donors for their generous support, which made the publication of this monograph possible: the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ). Timothy Murithi Addis Ababa January 2008 viii ABOUT THE AUTHORS Hakima Abbas is a policy analyst for the AU Monitor, Fahamu Networks for Social Justice, in Nairobi, Kenya. Professor Kinfe Abraham sadly passed away in November 2007. He was president of the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development (EIIPD) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dr Emmanuel Akwetey is the executive director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) in Accra, Ghana. Marilyn Aniwa is the in-country coordinator for the Ghana Parliamentary Committees Support Project at the Parliamentary Centre in Accra, Ghana. Désiré Assogbavi is the pan-Africa senior policy analyst for Oxfam in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Chrysantus Ayangafac is a senior researcher in the Direct Conflict Prevention Programme of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Professor Ismail Fall is with the Department of Political Science at the University of Dakar in Senegal. Irungu Houghton is a pan-Africa policy advisor with Oxfam in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr Admore Kambudzi is head of the Secretariat of the African Union Peace and Security Council, African Union Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Delphine Lecoutre is an independent analyst based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and a doctoral candidate with the University of Paris, France. Ambassador Msuya Mangachi is currently the Tanzanian high commissioner in Abuja, Nigeria. He was previously the permanent representative of Tanzania to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Edited by Timothy Murithi ix Kenneth Mpyisi is office director and programme head of the Direct Conflict Prevention Programme of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dr Timothy Murithi is a senior researcher in the Direct Conflict Prevention Programme of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Roselynn Musa is the programme officer for advocacy for the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (Femnet) in Nairobi, Kenya. Professor Maurice Tadadjeu is the delegate general at the Fédération des Organisations Société Civile Camerounaises [Federation of Cameroonian Civil Society Organisations] in Yaoundé, Cameroon. x ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ADB African Development Bank AEC African Economic Community AMU Arab Maghreb Union APRM African Peer Review Mechanism ASF African Standby Force AUC African Union Commission AU African Union CEMAC Communauté Economique et Monétaire d’Afrique Centrale [Central African Economic and Monetary Community]
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