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Debating the African Union Rarely has Africa's future been under such intense discussion. With the G8 planning to discuss a "Marshall Plan for Africa" at its summit in June but warning that Africa must do its part, the New Partnership for Africa, Nepad, almost ready to go and the Africa Union about to take over from the OAU, there's a strong impetus for change and a determination to leave the mistakes behind. But what are the right policies? How can Africa end its conflicts? What does economic integration mean in practice? Could an African parliament ever be effective? And what about a Central Bank and a single currency? While they may disagree on all those issues, the pundits, technocrats, activists and politicians all agree about one thing - there's been virtually no public debate within or outside Africa about the African Union. Yet without interest and commitment from ordinary folk across the continent, the entire project could fail. Join this debate to contribute to the discussions at the upcoming African Development Forum (ADF), March 3-8. Click on one of the topic areas below and read the views of our commentators; then add your comments to the debate. |
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Can Africa Ever Win Peace and Security? Since the Biafra war in Nigeria, 1967-70, the African continent has seen one terrible conflict after another, sometimes between states, often civil wars. No other region of the world has seen its peoples suffer such casualties, disruption and displacement. Can the African Union achieve its goals in spite of the bloodshed and lack of stability? Or could its new institutions and laws help to end the cycle of violence? |
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Can Economic Integration Work for Africa? The policymakers say that regional integration is vital if Africa is to withstand the pressures of globalisation. That means harmonising monetary, fiscal, trade and exchange policies - a process which is bound to generate both winners and losers. Can African countries take the tough decisions? |
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Building Africa's New Institutions - Who's in Charge? Bringing the African Union into being will mean dismantling the old African leaders' Club and replacing it with brand new institutions - like a panAfrican parliament, a panAfrican Central Bank and single currency, and panAfrican courts. Can the models used in other regions, like the European Union, work in Africa? How can they be effective over such a huge area? And could democratic accountability really work with 54 countries involved? And regional groupings like Ecowas and the Comesa - will they see their hard-won institutions superseded? |
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L'Afrique a besoin d'un débat sur l'Union Africaine Alors qu'on est vivement intéressé par les nouvelles politiques et institutions prévues pour l'Union Africaine, il n y a presque pas eu de débat sur la façon dont elles ont été conçues ni sur comment elles seront mises en oeuvre. Au cours des quelques semaines qui nous séparent du 3ème FDA, vous pouvez participer au débat sur l'avenir de l'Afrique sur les pages de allAfrica. com et donc influencer les décideurs. |
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New Infrastructure is Vital for the African Union New, improved political structures, harmonised trade rules and whole-hearted economic integration... but what use is it if the telephone doesn't work, the Internet costs too much to use and the only roads to support intra-African trade are narrow and pot-holed? Infrastructure underpins everything the African Union is trying to achieve. But who is going to upgrade it and build new capacity? And perhaps more important, who is going to pay? |
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