Africa: 'The Boundaries Are Holding Us Back'

1 March 2002
allAfrica.com
interview

Washington, DC — While many can see the attractions of panAfrican institutions - like an African parliament, or Supreme Court - as part of the African Union, the practical arrangements are difficult to foresee, particularly how to achieve transparency and accountability to the satisfaction of 54 countries across a vast continent. For some, an answer lies in the regional groupings that are already up and running. Bakary Bobbo works for Ecowas' Conflict Prevention and Management Programme from his base in Gambia.

Do you believe that there is a need for the African Union, given that you come from a region where lots of regional cooperation is going on, through Ecowas. Is there a need for the African Union?

I have no doubt about that. There is a need and I think the African Union is long overdue. We have in mind the African history, the founding fathers, Kwame Nkrumah and his group; they really wanted to do this to start with but the whole idea was scuttled. I think it is really about time to go back to it.

And yet, many people who look at the OAU's history say the evidence is that we don't need any more panAfrican organisations.

Well, it's not easy. I believe that if we are to go to the Union, it's good to do it through the regional organizations - SADC, Comesa, Ecowas and the other sub-regional organizations. In that case, I take the example of Ecowas. If we don't have strong regional organizations then it is difficult to have a panAfrican one. If those regional organizations are strong enough, they can harmonize their policies, their actions and then the Union will be easier to produce. But if you don't have a strong regional base organization like Ecowas, then it is difficult.

I think Ecowas has made a good beginning, not because I come from West Africa, but it's the most advanced so far. People have to think beyond their immediate tribe or ethnic-based approach, they have to think regional and then African after. I think it's a good start.

What are the lessons we should learn from Ecowas, then, if it's been a good place for testing out these ideas? What have you learned that's important for the African Union?

Well we've learned that in each region you need a natural leader, Nigeria would be one, in Ecowas. They have to be committed to the regional idea in terms of financial, political, human resources - so many things. But if you don't have strong leaders, it is difficult. Many countries don't have resources.

In Ecowas now, you can travel throughout Ecowas without any problem, you don't have to produce a document. And we are harmonizing the currency. Many francophone countries were using the CFA, which was pegged to the French franc. With the advent of the European Union currency, the Euro, it is difficult to survive without having your own corresponding currency; so now, Ecowas has developed what they call the second monetary zone. We already have the CFA zone, now you will have Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea-Conakry and Sierra Leone using a common currency in the second monetary zone - it was decided in Dakar last December to call it the Eco. Then after two years, in 2004-5, the Eco will be harmonised with the CFA.

So, if we keep moving like this, we can have common economic programs, political and so on and the borders will disappear on its own. If you want to have the same currency, belong to the same political entity, do without a passport and all these things, you cannot do it without educating your population, especially the leaders, who need to make a strong case within their own countries that we need to take this path. They have to explain why we need to do it.

Well why do we need this regional approach? Why does the nation-state not serve African interests?

Okay. Well, I think if you think of the nation-state, the Europeans and others, who have much older nation-states, they're getting rid of that. That means to survive, you don't need a small country! You just need to have common goals to protect each other. I mean, the Berlin conference divided Africa into pieces. If you travel, you don't see any differences crossing from one country to another. I come from Nigeria, I have met many people from Senegal, Cameroon who speak the same language as me, Fulani, and it is the same thing for many other ethnic groups. That being said, I think the notion of a small piece of land representing a country is really weakening people, I mean you are just putting up barriers. If you can go beyond these artificial borders, I think you can achieve a lot. I don't think human beings should be bound by these barriers, they should be free. I think we have, by and large, the same culture in Africa, you may be Muslim, you may be Christian, you may have an African religion, but by and large we have the same culture. That is my belief.[ADF3]

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