By Adan K Mulata, National Defence College, Kenya

Introduction

The continent of Africa has immense potential as it has an extensive productive land mass, a large youthful population, strong social cultural bond; and abundant human and mineral resources. Despite its potential, the continent continues to experience conflicts and under-development while majority of its people are still suffering from socio-economic ills. Africa today has numerous unresolved issues such as poverty, bad governance, poor leadership, disasters, crisis of nation building, gender inequality, food insecurity and violent conflicts among many other ills affecting the people. In several countries of Africa, there is evident suppression of freedoms, the violation of human rights and dignity of their people. At the same time external actors both state and non-state particularly those from the developed countries have taken advantage of Africa’s sorry situation. Such actors tend to prey on Africa’s human, natural and intellectual resources for their self benefit without due regard for the people of the continent. The above situation is rooted and attributable to Africa’s past as the continent has suffered a great deal of political, societal, institutional and economic disruptions for several centuries and into the 21^st century. There are several historic events that have negatively impacted on the current and future prospects of the continent and its people. They include; the slave trade, colonialism, post independence oppressive regimes, the cold war and sustained unfair international practices among others. There is need to reflect on these events for the purpose of analysis of their long term effect but also to enable develop a comprehensive approach to reverse their impact and allow genuine progress into the future for the people of Africa. Further the people of Africa and their leadership today have greater responsibility for the condition of the people of the continent and should therefore take control of the situation and chart a way forward out of this dilemma. The combination of the above issues also informs some of Africa’s complexities and present challenges including those of peace and security. This is against the background where leaders and institutions of the States in Africa have lacked the capacity and will to overcome the negative influences facing Africa and its people.

The threats to peace and security for states in Africa and the continent at large tend to emanate from both the internal and external environment. Hence issues of peace and security in the context of states in Africa can be understood from both the traditional approach which has its focus on defence from external aggression and human security dimensions among other possible approaches. Due to the present poor condition for the majority of people in Africa, of interest is the human security paradigm which is defined by the UN Commission on Human Security’s as “to protect the vital core of all human lives in ways that enhance human freedoms and human fulfillment” (Human Security Now, 2003, p4). The human security paradigm which is associated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 1994 Human Development Report on human security brings together the human elements of security, rights and development. Human security approach concerns the observance of human rights, good governance, poverty reduction, freedoms, provision of needs, access to education and health care. Such aspirations are relatively scarce for many people in the continent of Africa. Acceptably in Africa, most constitutions in several countries recognizes the need for security, observance of rights and safety of the individual and groups beyond the security of the state itself. A good example is Kenya constitution 2010 where chapter four on the bill of rights comprehensively integrates the key tenets of the human security paradigm. However, in practice for many states of Africa the achievement of human security remains a distant dream. Achieving human security is significant as it has direct implications for national security including the nature and survival of the state itself. The nature of the state of being either strong, weak or failed is crucial as it can have serious implications for security of its people and the continent at large. The combination of both the traditional approach to security and human security paradigm offers a strong basis for managing peace and conflicts issues in the continent. The combined approach will enable develop strategies which addresses threats in the internal and external environment of states and various regions of the continent which then positions the people of Africa for peace, stability and prosperity.

Broad look at Africa today

A broad look at Africa today is necessary to understand both its potential and present situation. The continent of Africa has a total of 54 states and a land mass of about 30.3 million km². Africa has a population of around 1.166 billion people which are estimates for 2015 (UNPF, 2009). The continent is divided into distinct regions such as north, east, west, central and south. Each region has unique character and challenges in socio-economic, peace and security but there are overlaps and commonalities which connects the entire continent. Further, a large part of the various regions of the continent are dominated by regional conflict complexes which makes the security of states interdependent. The majority of those distinct regions have developed into regional economic communities (RECs) such as the East African Community, Economic Community of West African States, Southern Africa Development Cooperation, Economic Community of Central African States and Arab Maghreb Union among several others. Despite over half a century of their independence, the reality for the majority of states in post independence Africa indicates that there has been minimal socio-economic progress which has led to the poor condition of their citizens. Thus most states in Africa have not had meaningful experiences of peaceful co-existence in the internal and external dimensions nor prosperity which in contrast is enjoyed by a large number of countries in other regions of the world. As earlier stated, the countries of Africa have had oppressive colonial rule, while in the post independence era they have experienced successive oppressive regimes, negative effects of the cold war era and continued unfair economic practices from developed countries that pursue their national interest. These issues when coupled with prescriptions of global institutions like the International Monitory Fund, World Bank and other donor organizations tend to negatively impact on states in Africa. There are numerous instances where wrong intervention strategies of both violent and non-violent nature by the developed countries have caused more harm than good for the people of Africa. Further, most states in Africa have immense challenges due to external pressures like globalization while at the same time experiencing political instability, persistent conflicts and war on terrorism among other complexities. Such situations tend to negate the possibility for peace, security and development in the continent which makes it difficult to progress towards achieving human security for the people of Africa.

States in Africa have the highest levels of poverty compared with other regions of the world. As at 2012, about 500 million (42.7%) people in sub-Saharan Africa live on $1.90 a day (World Bank Poverty Head Count Ratio, 2012). In contrast, the majority of countries in the continent are rich in natural resources and there is greater potential for other sectors like agriculture and industry to flourish. Indeed the immense resources of Africa have been substantial contributor to prosperity in some developed countries elsewhere in the world. For example one can question how developed countries such as France or Belgium would be like without the sustained extraction of resources from its former colonies in Africa. The first hurdle for states in Africa is to ensure that resources from the continent are primarily utilized for the well being of its people. The next major concern is the fragility of states in Africa where the majority of countries in the continent are either weak or failed states. The Fund for Peace Fragile index ranking, 2014 has 49 of the 54 countries of Africa between warning and very high alert with none in stable, very stable and sustainable categories. The fragility of states in Africa has its roots in the continents disruptive past and the challenges from both internal and external dimensions described earlier including failure of leadership and governance. This should concern all actors in Africa due to the possibility that a state can make progress overtime but easily slide back into crisis. There are several examples such as the cases of Libya, Ivory Coast, Central African Republic and Egypt among many others which despite several decades of development have regressed critically to near or failed state category.

Besides the above, states in Africa face other crises such as those of violent democratic transitions, corruption, transnational organized crimes, bad governance, youth bulge coupled with unemployment, insecurity (food, terrorism, disasters, health, and environment) and the overall safety for its people. According to the UN Population Fund, 2009 the population of Africa could double in size over the next course of 27 years thus by 2036. If Africa is unable to provide the basic needs and human rights for its people today, what if the population is doubled by 2036 as anticipated? There are some other questions one can raise when discussing Africa today and its future such as whether there can be an African renaissance or rebirth as envisaged by Thabo Mbeki?, can Africa rise to claim the 21^st century? Or will the ideals of pan-Africanism be entrenched to enable the continent address its challenges? The answers to these questions are significant for a variety of reasons. If Africa is unable to rise and there is no renaissance or is unable to engage its own problems, this should worry us greatly. The concern being that the citizens of Africa will not have control of their future and also not benefit from its immense potential and resources. This implies that a third party with capacity to exploit Africa’s potential will benefit fully as the case has been in the past centuries leaving the continent’s people in an equally poor state, divided and in conflict for the next millennium and beyond. This direction is inappropriate for the people of Africa, which requires a serious rethink to chart a long term plan that can reverse the trend. Such a process will enable address some of the issues of peace, conflict and human security affecting the people of Africa which will be discussed in the next section.

Matters of peace, conflict and human security in Africa

In engaging matters of peace, conflict and human security in Africa, there are some key issues that emerge which can explain the reality for the people in states of Africa. In the internal dimension the issues include; the nature of leadership, governance, democratic transitions and internal conflicts. A combination of these factors in the internal environment triggers other forms of complexities such as negative ethnicity, the lack of national unity and inequitable distribution of resources.  In the external dimension the core issues include unfair international practices such as prescriptions, negative effect of globalization and inappropriate pursuit of national interests by some states in developed world on Africa. Issues in both the internal and external environment will tend to converge making the challenges facing states in Africa complex and difficult to de-conflict. Acceptably there are variances in the degree of how each of these concerns impact on individual countries in Africa. For example Kenya and Tanzania are better placed than Somalia and South Sudan. The understanding of these emerging issues and a comprehensive effort in overcoming them will translate to the achievement of human security for the people of Africa.

Nature of Leadership in Africa

The leadership of states of Africa at all levels of government can be generally characterised as poor. As Ebegbulem observes despite its richness, the continent of Africa is battered by corruption and leadership crisis. The question of poor leadership has been a major impediment to development, peace and security for the people in the majority of states on the continent. Leaders in a large number of states in Africa are greedy for power, lack direction, want to enrich themselves, practice nepotism, have no respect for their national constitution and are corrupt. They also practice an inappropriate top down model of governance and are less concerned with the provision of needs and rights for the citizen who in the first place elected them to power. Such a scenario tends to divide communities along ethnic lines which then becomes a major source of instability for the state rather than harmony. Such leaders also prefer glossy reports from government bureaucrats in the comfort of city offices which fail to reflect the reality facing the citizens of a country. It is therefore important for the top most leadership of the state to set the standards as other leaders at lower levels and the rest of government will then easily conform. If the leader chooses to practice corruption, nepotism or fails to respect law and order, then the evil develops into the character of the other leaders in the state at all levels and the government itself.

For states in Africa, progress towards achieving human security for their citizen can mainly be driven by top leadership acting individually or collectively at national and continental level. At the same time it is critical for them to ensure citizen participation in every aspect of their lives including issues of governance. Several approaches can enable address this problem leadership crisis in Africa. First, the various arms of government through genuine separation of power should act independently to serve as a check and balance mechanism against excesses of leadership at all levels of government. Second is for the citizens to be educated and be made aware that they have voice to demand for their rights and participate in governance. The citizens once empowered should ensure their leadership at local and national levels do practice servant or transformational leadership and not to ‘lord’ over them. Third is inculcating national values and adopting a participatory form of government where the citizen’s rights are observed and they are able to check the excesses of leadership. Fourth is a regional and continental approach which needs to be put in place for the African Union and its Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to retain oversight of leadership in their member states. The regional and continental mechanisms should be enforceable to allow for actions in situations where a states top leadership fails to uphold such values or becomes a source of instability to the people and region. For example the African Union should not have remained quiet in the ongoing conflict situation arising from leadership struggles in Burundi. The continent’s leadership should ensure the spirit of constitutionalism is respected by leaders of states across the continent. Such situations of crisis require immediate action to avoid escalation of conflict to the region and beyond while attracting negative forces from the continental and beyond.

Governance practices in Africa

The practice of good governance is essential in alleviating various ills affecting society but most importantly it ensures effective and efficient use of resources which in turn improves the livelihood of the people. However, governments in most states in Africa have made little progress towards achieving good governance and associated principles such as transparency, accountability, participation, equality, equity and rule of law among others. Most governments in states of the continent have generally failed to ensure service delivery for their citizens. Corruption has become a chronic illness for the majority of states in Africa. Failure in governance and corruption undermines the capacity of the state to provide human security and development for its citizens; erodes values, creates mistrust between communities and leads to failure of service delivery. A combination of these factors will cause agitation, violence and conflicts which further leads to the suffering of vulnerable people particularly the poor, women and children. It is therefore not surprising that, over fifty years after independence, the majority of states in Africa are unable to provide services to their citizens. The citizens particularly in the rural areas are left to provide for themselves under harsh conditions where their very survival is not assured as they lack security and safety. This problem is exacerbated by the evident gap between the citizen, the state and their political and governmental leadership. The state authority and apparatus for service delivery have generally recoiled to the comfort of the city or major town centres. This leaves expansive stretches of ungoverned spaces within the territory of the state which are then occupied by bandits, armed gangs, terrorist and extremist who readily radicalize citizenry particularly the youth compounding the problem of insecurity and conflicts for the people in many states of Africa.

The convergence of poor leadership and bad governance poses a serious threat to state survival. It will therefore be instructive for leadership, institution of government and state apparatus to place emphasis on the wellbeing of the individual citizen for meaningful progress in Africa. Several key issues emerge in the attempt to resolve the issue of bad governance. First is the need to extend the reach of the state to re-occupy those ungoverned spaces to provide security, needs and rights for the citizens. Second is enhancing the effectiveness of government and adopting good governance practices. Third is prioritising the total elimination of corruption which has been a threat to survival of states in Africa. Finally the top leadership in the country should take full responsibility in reversing these trends. A good example is President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who is transformational in nature, does not condone inefficiency in government, holds his officers accountable and acts decisively on corruption which has made the country develop and the conditions of the people markedly improved. Significant to this discussion is the model of governance practiced by states in Africa. The participatory bottom-up approach model of governance which responds to the initiative of the people will enable service delivery; meet the prioritized needs and the observance of human rights for the people. This is against the background of failure of other governance models of states in Africa. The constitution in several countries of Africa entrenches the right of citizens to be involved in all decision making in government at all levels which allows for this kind of participatory approach to governance. However, the practice of participatory development is yet to be entrenched in many states in Africa.

Equally important, there is need to scrutinize whether modern or liberal democratic practices should be interpreted or imposed on states in Africa purely in terms of its western definition. Acceptably there are common global values and standards which should inform the needs, rights and dignity of a person applicable in states. However, it would be instructive to consider domesticating for each country to have a unique blend of democratic practice and governance structures provided it serves the citizenry and meets the global threshold of rights and needs. Such structures could be a combination of several emerging models of governance including where applicable the traditional models, which will enhance acceptability and ownership of national decisions, development projects and programmes by the people. This is significant as it will anchor governance practices on both national and cultural values and connect citizens in the process of nation building which currently is a major challenge for states in Africa. This approach will particularly be effective in addressing social needs of the people such as the initiative of alleviating poverty through ‘one cow for every poor family’ in Rwanda and resolve conflicts using the traditional mechanisms rather than the commonly used militarized approach. Such a process minimizes opportunity for conflicts while allowing for peaceful coexistence, prosperity and progress of society.

War, Conflicts and Violent Extremism

The next major concern is war, conflicts and violent extremism which has tended to spread across various regions of Africa for a variety of reasons. First is political instability which for many states in Africa has been a constant problem since decolonization in 1960s with up to 61% of states in Africa having experienced instability at one point or another between 1960 and 2002 (Marshall M, 2005, p 11). During the cold war, proxy wars were fought on the continent by the two world powers. In the post cold war era, autocracies in Africa have declined while there has been an increase in the number of democratic regimes. This has brought the challenge of democratic transitions for many countries in Africa which has been cause of conflicts. Evidently, the clamour for power and resources including dynamics of democratization has led to an upsurge in inter-communal violence for many states in Africa.

Second are conflicts which according to Project Plough Shares armed conflicts report 2014, in 2013 alone there were a total of 28 armed conflicts in 25 countries across the world. Twelve (12) of the armed conflicts were in the continent of Africa which translates to 43% of conflicts in the world. Put differently, 24% of countries in the continent of Africa are identified as being in a state of armed conflict. Indeed a scrutiny of most states in Africa today will indicate the existence of serious threats to their survival from either the internal or external environment. The violent conflicts have had devastating effects such as death, genocide, injury, violations of human rights and the destruction of property including the deprivation of the means of livelihood for the affected communities. Ethnicity including the issues of identity has been a major source of conflict and wars across Africa. An example is the Rwanda genocide of 1994 where in about 100 days over 800,000 people were massacred. In some instances like that of Somalia, Libya, Central African Republic and South Sudan, combinations of those threats have led to the collapse of the state. States in Africa have to identify such threats to their survival and develop comprehensive long-term plans acting individually or collectively.

Third is the issue of territorial borders which were arbitrarily drawn by the colonial powers coupled with the discovery of resources in Africa has been a source of wars and conflict. Though the problem of borders is highly complex and sensitive, the African Union (AU) has made a bold move by having an AU border policy and urged its member states to demarcate their borders by 2017. Ambitious and complex as this may seem, the states in Africa have no choice but to conduct this exercise and where disputes arise, they should be resolved using non-violent and peaceful means. An example is how Nigeria and Cameroon resolved their border dispute over the Bakassi Peninsula in 2002 by seeking the intervention in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to determine ownership. In this case both countries accepted the outcome of the ICJ decision of awarding the peninsula to Cameroon. The AU and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) can mandate continental and regional courts such as the African Court of Justice, Human and Peoples Rights or the East African Court of Justice for EAC and the continental organ before recourse to the International Court of Justice.

Fourth is terrorism which is a global phenomenon that has been the cause of concern to many states in Africa. Data from Global Terrorism Index 2014 which shows the top 50 countries of the world according to their terrorist activities has 18 of the countries from Africa. Terrorist attacks by groups such as Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab and their offshoots in countries across various regions of Africa have been a serious source of insecurity, destruction and death which is an impediment for socio-economic development of the states in the affected regions. More recently, the Islamic State terror group continues to cause havoc across numerous regions of the world with many states in Africa suffering its brunt. Related to the issue of terrorism are the radicalization of the youth and some segment of the population in some states towards violent extremism. To minimize this, there is need to engage anti-radicalization measures, educate and create employment for the youth.

Finally, additional to the above, the discovery of oil and gas and other precious minerals are likely to compound the potential threats for countries in the continent. The discoveries will make Africa become the focus of other major global actors who will religious pursue their national interests at the peril of states in Africa. There is also the dimension of resource curse where conflicts and wars are caused in the contestation over mineral exploitation, sharing and its management. There is need to guard states in Africa against such one sided pursuit of individual interest by external actors to maximize the benefit for the people of Africa. At the regional and continental level, there is need to have legal regimes to manage resources and conflicts that emanates from them.

In the area of war, conflict and violent extremism, there are several steps which can enable manage the issues of peace and security. First is all states in Africa should prepare national security strategies. The AU and RECs are to equally develop specific plans to address issues of continental security concerns. The national and continental long range plans should dovetail each other for complementarity. Second is to share intelligence in all spheres of threats affecting states and regions of Africa. Indeed where such intelligence sharing is undertaken effectively, security forces have successfully pre-empted possible attacks of terror or prevented conflicts. Third is to ensure the envisaged continental early warning system, RECs and with link to national institutions be operationalized. A combination of such steps can enable enhance Africa’s responsiveness to threats and also enable it to be resilient to risks. Independence, sovereignty and progress for states in Africa can only be achieved if the problems of war, conflict and violent extremism are overcome.

Unfair International Practices

This section concerns the global environment in which Africa operates and brings together a wide range of factors in the global arena that influences the dynamics of events in the continent. The unfair international practises concerns negative effects of globalization, international trade, arms trade, resource exploitation, bilateral and multilateral donor aid/loans and interventions in Africa. First there is persistent violence in several states in the continent due to wrong external intervention strategies which has tended to negate the possibility of their development. Such violence includes; events such as the Arab spring which began around December 2010 that affected Tunisia, Libya and Egypt in Africa and many other states across the Arab world. Though the crisis seemed like internal uprising it had a larger external component allegedly orchestrated and triggered by countries primarily from the developed West. In all the three cases those wrongful intervention strategies led to the collapse or near collapse of the affected countries. Such negative external manipulation of the domestic environment can have implications for stability of the already fragile states in Africa.

Second is the continued exploitation of resources of the continent which tends to enrich other developed states while there is little or no benefit for the people of Africa. There are cases where highly impoverished countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone among others being  perennially in conflict which are attributed to their mineral resources which are exploited by some developed countries such US, UK, France and Belgium among several others. Third is the suffering of people from Africa due to repayment of foreign loans/debts and prescriptions or conditionality from institutions like International Monetary Fund and World Bank which are unsustainable. Fourthly is the use by developed countries of unscrupulous methods including placing unwarranted travel advisories on several countries in Africa under the guise of terrorism. These unwarranted approach negatively impacts directly on tourism, investment and economic growth which further impoverishes the people of Africa. For example during the visit of President Obama to Kenya 24-26 July 2015, the CNN reported that his visit was to a country which is a “hotbed of terrorism” such media projections though baseless will have negative consequences for the target  country. Such a move gives a direct endorsement of the people who perpetrate the problem of terrorism at the detriment of the security of the state. Other issues such as trade barriers both tariff and non-tariff continue to hurt the people of Africa. These factors confirm that the causes of conflicts and issues of human rights are violated by several structural issues in the international arena. Indeed it is evident that states in Africa are mostly disadvantaged when it comes to the numerous dynamics in the global arena. Such complex scenarios require collective effort of states in Africa, civil society and lobbying by like minded groups and ‘think thanks’ to correct some of those structural injustices which negatively impact on the countries of Africa.

Finally the intervention or failure to intervene by the international community in diverse conflicts or crisis situations has had negative consequences for states in Africa. An example is the March 2011 NATO intervention in Libya. Human Development Report 2014 ranked Libya which was then under Muamar Gaddafi, as number 55 out of 187 countries in the world. Its people enjoyed high human development index of 0.784. However, after the death of Gaddafi, today Libya competes for the bottom position with countries such as Somalia and South Sudan after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization led international coalition intervention. Further the majority of citizens in Libya are today in the hands of warlords, criminal gangs and militia; they lack basic needs and their rights are violated. Further the spill over effect of the collapse of Libya has impacted widely in the region on the majority of states in North and West Africa. The flourishing of terror groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State in the region has been attributed to this spill over effect of the failed Libyan intervention and eventual collapse of the state. The Libyan case is a clear example of wrong intervention strategies by developed countries of the West on states in Africa which had drastic consequences. It would be prudent for any form of intervention in conflicts in Africa to be undertaken in a manner that ensure and accommodates the unique nature of the people of Africa. This means such an intervention should follow wide consultation with continental actors.

The nature of interaction between Africa and the rest of the world should place genuine concern for the future of the continent and its people. The developed countries will pursue their national interests with little or no consideration for the people of Africa causing conflicts and instability in many countries of Africa. In such a scenario, conflicts increase and development stalls while at the same time enabling criminal elements such as terror groups and transnational organized crimes to flourish making a mockery of statehood for many countries in Africa. Based on these experiences, countries which intervene in situations in the continent should pursue an agenda that contributes to a stable, peaceful and prosperous Africa. An approach which can deliver such an aspiration for the continent is the ongoing agenda for regionalism in Africa.

Agenda of Regionalism in Africa

The above discussion has demonstrated that the threats facing states in Africa emanates from both the internal and external dimensions which traditionally extend beyond the realm of security of an individual state.  Further, the economies of states in Africa are small, isolated and weak to survive and prosper individually. The need for meaningful development and security for the people of the continent can therefore be realised through the continent’s regional integration agenda rather than by purely individual states. At its inception in 1963, the OAU had a strong agenda of ‘pan-Africanism’ which was propagated by founding fathers such as President Kwame Nkurumah, Julius Nyerere and Jomo Kenyatta among others. The regional integration agenda for Africa’s unity by its sub-regions is evident through several instruments such as the Lagos Plan of Action 1980, Abuja Treaty 1991 and the Constitutive Act of the African Union of 2000 and the eventual launch of African Union in 2001 among others. The Abuja treaty of 1991 crystallized the aspirations of the Lagos Plan of Action of establishing an African Economic Community with Regional Economic Communities as its building blocks. As De Mello and Tsikata observe “The RECs were and continue to be the glue that will cement African unity” (De Mello and Tsikata, 2014, p4). In my view this is where the future of Africa lies in ensuring success of its continental agenda for regionalism.

In other fronts there have been several initiatives to develop and secure states in Africa albeit, with minimal progress. Examples include the structural adjustment programmes and related strategies of the 1980s and early 1990s which all failed. More recently there were expectations with the launch of the United Nation’s eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the year 2000 which were to be achieved by 2015. The failure to achieve the MDG goals led to the international community developing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) whose goals 17 goals were adopted at the General Assembly in September 2015. It seems that countries in Africa individually and collectively are chasing ‘mirages’ in the desert under difficult circumstances posed by the issues discussed earlier in the internal and external environment. It is about time for real consideration to be made in achieving tangible progress for the people of Africa in every respect.

The African Union Agenda 2063 – ‘the Africa We Want’, which was launched in 2013, earlier introduced, takes notes of development in the continent in its first fifty years since the inception of the OAU in 1963 and looks ahead to the next fifty years. It takes into account the continent’s earlier plans and places emphasis on the critical role of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as building blocks for continental unity thus being key actors in steering the continent’s agenda. It would be useful to highlight the seven aspirations outlined in African Union, Agenda 2063 (Agenda 2063, 2014, p2 – Popular version). First is ‘a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development’. Second is ‘an integrated continent, politically united and based on ideals of pan-Africanism and the vision of Africa’s renaissance’. Third is ‘an Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law’. Fourth is a peaceful and secure Africa’. Fifth is ‘an Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values and ethics’. Sixth is ‘an Africa where development is people-driven, unleashing the potential of women and youth. Finally, ‘Africa as a strong, united and influential global player and partner’. Specific aspects and targets are outlined under each aspiration that shows a broad road-map of achieving ‘the Africa we want’ by 2063. These seven aspirations of the African Union contained in Agenda 2063 – ‘the Africa we want’ needs to be pursued for its achievement with commitment and zeal by states and their leadership. Agenda 2063 also re-dedicates itself to the pan-African vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and represents a dynamic force in the global arena (Agenda 2063, 2014, 2^nd edition, p1).  States of Africa pledge to act together towards achieving the seven aspirations which are outlined in agenda 2063 (Agenda 2063, 2014, 2^nd edition, p2). The fourth aspiration is ‘to have a peaceful and secure Africa’. This aspiration targets that by 2020 all guns will be silent, mechanisms for peaceful resolution of conflicts will be functional at all levels and by 2063 Africa will have the capacity to secure peace and protect its citizens (Agenda 2063, pp 6-7). The commitment of leaders in the continent is demonstrated by the call to action recognizing that Africa in 2015 stands at crossroads and shows their determination to transform the continent and ensure irreversible and universal change of the Africa’s conditions.

All the seven aspirations in AU Agenda 2063 are linked and mutually re-enforcing, hence achieving them will therefore enable Africa to take global leadership in the next century. Through Agenda 2063, it seems leaders of states in Africa are acknowledging that not much has been achieved over the first 50 years of their independence; hence they need to do something in the next fifty years. Despite the exemplary aspirations and concerns expressed in the document, there seems to be little progress so far except for the launch of the initial ten year plan in June 2015. As previously experienced such good plans without commensurate actions will take Africa nowhere. The AU leadership should recognize that the rest of the world is equally having aspirations hence are pursuing their national and regional interests religiously which means that states in Africa do not have the luxury of time. Therefore concrete steps are required which should be coupled with corresponding actions to be orchestrated immediately to fast track Africa’s progress in all spheres. The plan could be run like a military campaign with nerve centres at continental, regional and national levels to monitor progress towards the aspirations and targets stipulated in Agenda 2063 in a more frequent and dramatic manner.

Central to the anticipated turn round for the continent are the eight regional economic communities and similar mechanisms which are important building blocks in forming the anticipated African Economic Community as envisaged in Abuja Treaty of 1991. The RECs form an important platform that connects States in Africa through continental initiatives on energy, power, roads and promotes trade between countries across Africa. The AU Agenda 2063 envisages an increase in intra-Africa trade to about 50% from the current 11 % which will be on better terms as opposed to trade elsewhere in a globalized world. Such an anticipated growth will require interaction between states in Africa, allows for contact between groups across the continent, build relationships and creates connectedness among the people of Africa. An example is the East African Community which has five member states, collective size of 1.82 million km², population of 143.5 million people and GDP of US$110 billion (EAC Website). The five EAC partner states interact substantially to the extent that any situation between them can be resolved through negotiation and not war. A combination of such factors reduces tension between states and minimizes likelihood for war or conflicts while giving opportunity for peace. However, as the RECs consider forming federations such as that of EAC, there is need to have strong institutions which will ensure stronger institution that can impact beyond matters of trade.

A critical component that can allow independence and security for the continent of Africa is its capacity to resolve its own problem using own resources. Leadership in Africa have recognized this fact and established an important conflict management tool; the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) which was established in 2001. The African Peace and Security Architecture have five pillars: the Peace and Security Council, the Panel of the Wise, the AU Peace Fund, the Continental Early Warning System and the African Standby Force. APSA has five regional standby forces comprising the East African Standby Force, ECCAS, ECOWAS, SADC and North African Regional Capability. Working with the RECs, APSA forms an important step in enabling the continent to take independent control of resolving conflicts in Africa. The difficulty being experienced is the challenges of funding hence its sustainability could pose a challenge. Similar initiatives such as New Partnership for Development and the African Peer Review Mechanism are meant to address problems of governance, leadership and corruption. NEPAD is also geared to improving governance in states and the living conditions for the people of Africa and reduce their poverty. The success of such home grown intervention mechanism for ‘Africa by Africa’ if credibly sustained will be central in the search for peace and prosperity for states in Africa.

Conclusion

States in Africa at both the individual and continental levels must genuinely embrace the right practice in engaging the above factors to bring about meaningful change. There is need for political will from Africa’s leadership to ensure the realization of all aspirations at continental, regional and national levels. A concerted effort needs to be put in place by state, international organizations, civil society, the corporate and the people of Africa themselves to have the determination and will to ensure positive change for the continent. Failure to take such a stand will lead to the continuity of oppression, suffering and exploitation for states in Africa. Without the political will and determination to run with the ideals stipulated above, there will be no hope for Africa and its people. The bottom line is for leaders in Africa of all spheres must lead to the process of reversing the historic poor condition of its people. Other people of goodwill can then support their initiative for a better and progressive Africa.

Abbreviations

APRM – African Peer Review Mechanism
APSA – African Peace and Security Architecture
AU – African Union
CNN – Cable News Network
EAC – East African Community
ECCAS – Economic Community of Central African States
ECOWAS – Economic Community of West African States
ICJ – International Court of Justice
MDGs – Millennium Development Goals
NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NEPAD – New Partnership for African Development
OAU – Organization of African Unity
RECs – Regional Economic Communities
SADC – Southern Africa Development Cooperation
SDGs – Sustainable Development Goals
UNDP – United Nations Development Fund
UNPF – United Nations Population Fund

References

African Union, 2013, Agenda 2063 – ‘the Africa We Want’, agenda2063.au.int/

De Melo J. and Tsikata Y., Regional Integration in Africa: Challenges and prospects, WIDER Working Paper 2014 /037, 2014, Helsinki, Finland.

Ebegbulem C. Joseph, Corruption and leadership crisis in Africa: Nigeria in Focus, International Journal of Business and Social Sciences Vol.3 No 11: June 2012, pp 221-227

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The United Nations Conference for Trade and Development in Geneva have appointed AFS Chief Executive Beltus Etchu to their Awards panel who will select winners for the Empretec Women in Business Award 2016.

The prestigious global Award ceremony will take place during the 5000 delegate Empretec event on 21 July 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya, where winners will receive full UN recognition.

At this televised and streamed international gathering, entrepreneurial women, who have displayed innovative ideas, introduced new funding initiatives, demonstrated sound knowledge management and have contributed to the growth of business and employment within their respective nations, will be deservedly honoured.

UNA Scotland stated today that ”The UN appointment of Beltus Etchu to such a distinguished UN Panel of global experts, brings great credit to African Forum Scotland, to the Scots diaspora and to Scotland itself”.

Picture shows His Excellency High Commissioner Nkwelle Ekaney of Cameroon receiving his Fellowship Certificate from Professor John Struthers with Beltus Etchu CEO of AFS, Fiorina Mugione of UNCTAD and Dr Dina in the background

His Excellency Nkwelle Ekaney, High Commissioner for Cameroon was conferred as a Fellow of the AFS based Centre for Policy, Research and Development while attending the CAREED launch at UWS, Paisley. This well-deserved honour was presented following a comprehensive resume of Africa and Cameroon in particular as of today and His Excellency’s vision of the towering promise for the world by engaging with the new Africa.

 AFS were honoured to receive a visit from His Excellency Nkwelle Ekaney, High Commissioner of Cameroon during his first official visit to Scotland.  His Excellency publically congratulated AFS for our sterling work on behalf of the diaspora throughout the UK and our endeavours to initiate trade between the UK and Cameroon.  Scottish International Development Minister MSP Humza Yousaf welcomed the HIgh Commissioner to AFS and Scotland.

Helping us deliver better performances

So you think you can manage a business – but can you direct one?

Paper Entitled;

‘In order for business to flourish, Senior Executives must direct and not manage!’

Unless executives properly delegate, businesses stagger from problems to problems, inevitably reaching crisis. They also underperform and inevitably deliver diluted results.

Excellent managers are vitally important BUT excellent manager’s telephones are always ringing, they are constantly in meetings or in discussions with staff, their inboxes are full, their emails are only slowly returned (sometimes never), and they work long, long hours!

They also move on from one formidable challenge to the next one, without learning lessons or analysing past or present performance and without delegating responsibilities. Excellent managers are recognised for what they are – excellent managers, but they are not respected as excellent Directors.

Inevitably their businesses continually face bottlenecks.

The businesses they manage cannot grow.

Excellent managers are in grave danger of creating their own management bottlenecks.

Excellent managers continually feel that ‘they are getting there!

Excellent managers are always incredibly committed and very, very busy but their immense efforts are often unfocussed and they do not manage their own time efficiently. Their business approach and emphasis is unrecognised as business transformers as they constantly provide only short term solutions.

The result being that without personal corporate evolution and development, the business eventually owns them and not vice versa!

Their well-intentioned but flawed emphasis is often on developing growth, improving corporate profile and broadening the organisation, instead of delivering urgently needed profit and badly needed sales related income and above all, vital cash flow. This seriously exposes organisations to cash flow difficulties and constantly recurring corporate peaks and troughs.

What can be the inevitable corporate consequences if such excellent managers are not themselves, properly directed?

Well consider the following. if excellent managers are promoted to executive Directorships and yet continue to act as managers then they are simply unable and ill-prepared to deliver effective mid to long term strategies and solutions. They do not provide the systematic platforms and the repetitive organisational systems required to attain an environment for sustainable growth and cannot generate a corporate environment of profitability through embedded transformation.

Does this ring a bell? If so read on ……..

Excellent Directors;

In the majority of cases, Excellent Directors were once excellent managers but had the business ‘nous’ to step back, evaluate and evolve. Not every excellent manager can do this however, despite their diligence and corporate ambition.

Excellent Directors own the business – the business does not own them.

The ‘owner’ Director thinks strategically and can do so because he has Executive Directors and Executive management whom he identified and appointed to undertake specific roles and responsibilities for the next tier of managers to supervise and manage.

This model enables sustainable growth and corporate development to emerge from effectively harnessing this strategic, systematic mid to long term strategy.

The Executive Director ‘ownership’ model delivers the potential for engendering long term scalability and the emergence of a self-sustaining, repeatable model.

This classic comparison demonstrates the difference between Excellent Managers ‘working in businesses’ and Excellent Directors ‘working on their businesses’.

How excellent do you wish to be?

Rabinder Buttar, CEO of Clintec International gave the keynote address at the Ethnic Diversity employment Indaba, designed by African Forum Scotland to encourage young Scots from the African diaspora, either to become confident employees within Scottish companies or to help them kick start their careers as self-employed entrepreneurs. Rabinder’s inspiring presentation, informed an enthralled audience of her own entrepreneurial beginnings and encouraged them to visualise the possibilities of their own aspirations and helped give them the self-belief, incentive and foresight to become strive to become masters of their own futures.

Festus Olatunde of AFS met with newly appointed Minister for Solid Minerals Development, ‘His Excellency John Kayode Fayemi’, at a recent meeting in the Federal Capital in Abuja, Nigeria.

Picture shows Humza Yousaf, Minister for Europe and International Development addressing the AFS employment Indaba

At the Employment Indaba and Entrepreneurship Bazaar on Friday 30 October in the presence of  the Minister for Europe and International Development ‘Humza Yousaf and dignitaries including The Lord Provost of Glasgow, The Depute Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Police Scotland, decision making luminaries from Scotland’s Private Sector and a large gathering of the Scots African diaspora, AFS Special Adviser Ken Stewart and CEO Beltus Etchu, launched AFS’ innovative diaspora Employment Placement company called ACE Careers. The keynote speaker at the Event was Chair and CEO of Clintec International ‘Rabinder Buttar’ who delivered an inspiring resume of her career and gave encouragement to the aspiring entrepreneurs present while helping them focus on the characteristics needed to become successes, both as self-employed and as good and useful employees.  Starting out from an emigrant Scots/Indian family in Glasgow, Rabinder now manages over 500 high quality employees in demanding graduate and executive situations as they identify new, innovative and pioneering clinical and pharmaceutical vaccines to address major world challenges such as HIV/Aids and Ebola. Clintec’s HQ at Finnieston in Glasgow now operates globally across almost 50 countries worldwide. Rabinder joined the Minister and the Provosts in handing out UNA Internship Certificates to AFS diaspora training course attendees.

ACE Careers will work with major Scots employers to help them improve their numbers of Scots African employees and support their Equal Opportunity employment commitments.

The Event was instigated by AFS in recognition of the fact that the percentage Scots ethnic diversity populace sits around 5-7% and yet the respective workforces of all organisations and corporate employers do not reflect similar percentages. The actual equal opportunity employment percentages within Scots’ organisations in most instances, falls far below the anticipated target levels. The shortfall is at best disappointing and at worst, often reflects badly on some employers. We believe that Ace Careers can help employers reach their intended Equal Opportunities employment level aspirations by helping them attain improved ethnic diversity employment levels within their workforce. Ace Careers have available, a constant and updated supply of talented, well mannered, intelligent Scots African employees who are coached by Ace Careers and properly prepared to fit each organisations/corporates employment requirements and their preferred business cultures. Ace Careers currently have a talent pool of almost 600 available candidates.

It was recognised during a constructive day of open and extremely useful exchanges of fact and opinion that employers throughout Scotland were fully committed to employing ethnic diversity candidates but that the actual engagement of diaspora candidates, regularly stalls during employers HR vetting or selection process. Employers recognised that this was unfortunate and a commitment was aired to working in future with AFS and the Scottish Government to rectify this discrepancy. It was further recognised that the stable of AFS candidates available for employment would be coached by AFS to improve their marketability including job application techniques and in delivering more confident interview skills when meeting prospective employers.

AFS are shortly to meet the Minister and address the Indaba findings and explore constructive solutions.

THE AFRICA DEBATE

UWS, Paisley, 12 November 2015

AFRICAN ENTERPRISE & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

A PROUD HISTORY – A PROMISING FUTURE

Picture shows the high level panel at the Launch of the University of West of Scotland CAREED unit :
The Commercial Attache from the Ethiopian Embassy, His Excellency High Commissioner Nkwelle Ekaney of Cameroon, Beltus Etchu, CEO and Festus Olatunde, Executive Director Finance and Governance of African Forum Scotland

My own experience as an African is a good illustration of both the formidable challenges that confront this vast continent and the tremendous opportunities that await it.
Africa is the world’s second largest continent – only Asia is bigger – and it is home to more than 1 billion people. The continent also possesses about 10% of the world’s petroleum reserves, and it holds about 90% of the world’s cobalt, 90% of the world’s platinum, 50% of the world’s gold, 98% of the world’s chromium, and one-third of the world’s uranium. There are also vast tracts of farmland under cultivation, producing everything from maize and wheat to asparagus and wine grapes. For example, Agriculture is Africa’s largest economic sector, representing 15 percent of the continent’s total GDP, earning more than $100 billion annually. It is highly concentrated, with Egypt and Nigeria alone accounting for one-third of total agricultural output and the top ten African countries, generating 75 percent of the continents production.

Africa’s agro-ecological potential is massively larger than its current output, however, so are its food requirements. While more than one-quarter of the world’s arable land lies in this continent, it generates only 10 percent of global agricultural output. So there is huge potential for growth in a sector now expanding only moderately, at a rate of 2 to 5 percent a year.
There are 54 independent countries in Africa today, containing incredible cultural diversity, with more than 3,000 different languages spoken throughout, each one representing a unique cultural tradition. This continent also lays claim to the world’s most ancient Christian communities and its oldest Islamic universities. For example, as we know, Timbuktu was not only a great intellectual centre of the West African civilisations of the Mali and Songhai empires. It was also a splendid scientific centre and a major contributor to European scholarship and development in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Its remaining, incomplete, collection of books and manuscripts leaves us in no doubt as to the magnificence of its intellectual contribution.

Sadly, Africa also possesses a history stained with colonialism and slavery.
This dark period, which lasted well into the 20th century, was traumatic for Africans in many profound ways, emotionally, physically, socially and economically. While countries in Europe, America and Asia focused on building modern global economies after World War II, Africa’s best and brightest struggled to take control of their own destinies.

A New Beginning

I am happy to say that the struggle for independence is well behind us. My kids will only learn about it from their history books. Africa is producing 700,000 university graduates every year. Graduates who are concerned about the future and motivated to transform the continent and to integrate it into the global economy.
Africa’s nations are moving to the next level and emerging together around their common linguistic, social and economic bonds. Since 1975, 15 countries have been working together in the Economic Community of West African States. The mission of ECOWAS is to promote economic integration and foster collective self-sufficiency.

In the South, the Southern African Development Community was established in 1980 to facilitate socio-economic cooperation and integration among its 15 member states.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa stretches from Libya to Zimbabwe. Formed in 1994, the COMESA & CEMAC groups aim to create a fully integrated, internationally competitive regional economic community.
This kind of cooperation bodes well for the future.
Sure, progress is slow. But, we shouldn’t forget that the European Community required more than 50 years to arrive at its present state of social and economic integration and that ASEAN grouping, founded in 1967, have only recently begun to deliver real economic benefits to its member states.
I have faith and confidence that we will continue to see African states cooperating more and more closely for common benefit. I think 50 years from now we will see four or five well-integrated regional entities seamlessly engaged in trade with one another and with the rest of the world.

Investment Is Flowing

This accelerating trend toward economic cooperation and integration comes as the populations of Asia and Latin America become more affluent and there is increasing demand for energy, food, housing and basic consumer goods. As Africans continue to develop their economy, they will be in a good position to supply these commodities to the world and to do this efficiently and at reasonable price levels. Already, trade between Africa and China topped US$100 billion in 2010. Trade with India was over US$50 billion. In fact, the volume of trade between Africa and Asia was higher in 2010 than the trade between Africa and all the other regions of the world combined.

Of course, sustaining this growth for the long term will require tremendous investment in infrastructure and production, especially if African businesses are going to emphasize value-added manufacturing to complement and even surpass, revenues from the export of energy and natural resources. Again, I am optimistic. The global economy is really a simple system at heart. Money flows to areas which have the greatest potential for investment returns and profit and Africa is looking very attractive to both offshore and onshore investors right now.
Unfortunately, this success story is not well known outside of Africa. Although famines and civil wars generate spectacular images that are prominently reported on the front pages of newspapers around the world. For example, when someone like Nigerian-based billionaire Aliko Dangote invests a billion dollars in an African industrial project, it almost never makes headlines. I guess images of progress just do not sell newspapers. There are many investors like Mr. Dangote within the African continent who are putting their ‘smart’ money behind crucial infrastructure and industrial projects. A recent study conducted by a respected African NGO reported that African countries collectively received about US$50 billion in investment from outside the continent during the most recent year for which statistics are available. But this amount represents only about 30% of the total investment in Africa for that particular year. The other 70% was generated from sources inside Africa.

Our African Forum Scotland Role

Our own particular contribution, appears on the face of it to be small but is in fact potentially significant and very impactive. We at African Forum Scotland are committed to helping Africa achieve its great potential and to help raise the disadvantaged from the pervasive, ever recurring blight of the Poverty Trap. Our vision is to use cutting edge knowledge, scientific, entrepreneurial and technical and apply this knowledge to the existing proven wisdom and practices, already proven and applied by Africans artisans today. During the past 4 years, we have worked alongside the International Development team of the United Nations Association in Scotland to identify and focus solely upon specific economic sectors where we know we can really make a difference. We are therefore concentrating solely on 4 key deliverable sectors – Oil, Gas & Energy, Mining, Telecommunications and Banking and Finance and the common denominator of helping deliver sustainable capacity building, educational, teaching and coaching programmes. To expedite matters we are endeavouring to implement these programmes alongside the fast, decisive, decision making Private Sector as our expert and associate partners.

We also strive to do so in an ethical manner as best as we can in the contexts of circumstance and geo-political acquiescence. To help attain our required standards, we have also taken the bold step of identifying sensitive and socially responsible Private Sector experts as our designated partners to help us deliver quicker results. We are also harnessing the qualifications and expertise of the African Scots diaspora and training them so as to soon work as AFS outreach management teams within Africa.

All our undertakings are firmly based upon replacing African dependency upon Aid Funding as the prime development factor in far too many African nations. We fully respect and admire Aid’s magnificent contribution in addressing emergency relief challenges but dependence upon Aid as a means to generate economies and to create employment over past decades, has simply failed. Quite simply and for years, well intentioned benefactors have delivered top down, percolating, unconditional funds into Africa which rarely, if ever, reach their intended targets nor the intended recipients. Furthermore, little heed has been taken to ask Africans what they really need and what they in fact want.

Instead, we at African Forum Scotland are convinced that attracting funds, resources and expertise to generate Trade is the answer to Africa’s sustainable transformation. Such resources must be invested in entrepreneurial initiatives to help educate and generate quality and quantity improved produce and market surpluses to help local, regional, provincial, state and indeed, national market places to emerge. As touched upon previously, we at AFS champion ‘transformation’ as our benchmark.  Anything less we ignore as alternatives merely deliver change which is short term and reversible.

As a prime example of our work and aspirations, our endeavours are accordingly committed to the creation of local markets. Put simply, our expert teams listen carefully and learn about the talents, resources and expertise of local artisans and then complement their talents by applying cutting edge knowledge and modern techniques to help them surpass traditional results and performance levels. Our innovative add-on packages and training is further complemented by helping local people understand entrepreneurial marketing skills to use their newly attained surplus goods and services to stimulate new marketplaces.

A strong AFS example is easily demonstrated in agro-forestry. The two main ingredients required to create market surpluses in farming is land and labour. Africa has these in abundance and the added bonus being that agricultural surpluses address Food Shortages and employment and income derived, address the pernicious Poverty Trap. By teaching soil regeneration and selective plant husbandry, our techniques now help deliver yields and improved quality returns ranging from 6 – 10 times traditional levels. As an added bonus, in Cameroon and Tanzania, where our teams have operated pilot schemes, more women are employed and young people have now no need for embarking upon the risks which come from urban migration. Family units are held together and the more ambitious and entrepreneurial young farmers see the commercial potential of this initiative and look to new and more commercial agro-forestry models for economic opportunities.

Successful agricultural systems as described, require reliable access to financing and we are exploring Bank Account facilities for women especially with an African Bank, We are in addition, now also exploring ‘Fairtrade’ produce links with a Private Sector partner so as to focus production to their needs and help create an emerging African green revolution. There are logistical problems of course – a successful agricultural transformation requires some basics to be in place—transportation and other kinds of infrastructure, stable economies, more open borders and experimentation on harvest longevity, designed to enable and underpin farm exports.

The great advantage and opportunity we have is that AFS’ sector solutions are effective and ‘fit for purpose’. Our models are cost effective, proven and are user friendly and easily understood. They enable insights to be easily understood by practitioners and are readily adopted and quickly embedded. We are also committed to investing part of our own eventual profits back into socially deserving African Sector causes.

I commend this AFS African briefing and stratagem to your consideration.

Beltus Etchu

CEO, African Forum Scotland

CEO, Next Step Initiative

Founder and Director, Centre for Policy and Research Development Scotland