4 February 2008
Addis Ababa — A government for all of Africa cannot be imposed by decree, Mozambican President Armando Guebuza has warned.
Speaking to the Mozambican journalists who covered the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Guebuza pointed to the enormous amount of preparatory work that would be needed before an "African Union government" could be established. "We would have to analyse where opinions coincide, where they diverge, and how to solve such divergences", he said.
"We have experiences about how to create a country", he said. "Africa has just emerged from colonization, and the processes are more complex and need the participation of the public in decision taking".
Guebuza thought the AU had a great deal to discuss before it could reach consensus on a continental government. As a result of the debates at this summit, the AU heads of state recommended setting up a commission to look into the question of a Union Government, which would present its conclusions at the next summit, to be held in Cairo, in July. By that time, Guebuza believed that some of the fundamentals would be clearer, making it possible to decide whether it is possible to advance to a single government covering 53 countries.
"It must be stated that a Union Government is not made by decree, or because we have what we can call a legal basis", said Guebuza. "The decision has a lot to do with the problems countries face on our continent".
"We will have a lot of discussions on this, but as from July, we shall have an idea of when we will be able to have an African Union government", he added.
Consensus has proved impossible so far. A group of countries headed by Libya wants to advance immediately to a continental government, but the majority of AU member states believe that first integration of the sub-regional blocs such as SADC (Southern African Development Community) must be consolidated.
Guebuza also made clear that he had requested Mozambican economist Firmino Mucavele to leave his post as Executive Secretary of NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development) to return home and work in Mozambican agriculture.
Guebuza believed that Mucavele had made a sufficient contribution to NEPAD, and it was time for him to contribute to the growth of agriculture in Mozambique through his experience as a scientist in this area.
"Professor Mucavele made his valuable contribution to NEPAD, and we now need him in Mozambique to transmit his experience to our people", said the President. "He is a good university teacher in economics and agriculture and we need some inputs in these areas".
The government is banking on achieving a "green revolution" in Mozambican agriculture, and to achieve this Guebuza believed that the contribution of scientists was fundamental.
Mucavele was elected executive secretary of NEPAD in 2005, and has annual term of office was renewed twice.
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I am very sory to hear some african leaders talking non sense on Africa government. How long do you want to wait before having a government for our continent? Having a government doesn't mean every state will disappear. Once the government is formed, we can start by produce a common currency for our continent. Also big decisions can be controlled by that government. When these people, who think Africa is not ready for a common government, think they will be ready? I am just sick to hear these kind of bull shit. There is something Kadhafi and those… [Read Full Text]