Editorial
The Dominoes of Africa’s Regional Integration
The former has really done great business with Kenya and Uganda – and now, South African behemoths such as MTN (a cellular company) and Stanbic Bank are much bigger outside South Africa than inside that country.
Nigeria is practically responsible for much, MUCH business all over Ghana, Cameroon and Sudan – and somehow, all these businesses are thriving because of business men such as Dangote.
In essence, Africa is much better when it does business with itself.
A recent Brookings Institution study even suggested that although exports to the U.S. from Africa under AGOA will reduce from an African continental free trade agreement, the same report also suggests that African economies will grow much MUCH faster as a result of the regional integration. What the report does not say explicitly is that Africa will be able to demand for much greater things from the world if it spoke with one voice.
Of course, the question now is: Who should be the voice that shouts loudest on the continent? Again, we could say that African leaders much gather their collective egos and ensure that the African Union with its effective leadership must be strengthened and its current infrastructure must be leverage for a better result for Africa.
Yes. The African Union is the best place to start the process of a singular bargainer, speaker for Africa’s trade and investment regimes – and most of all, for a parliament that effectively emulates what is happening in the European Union.
There’s no excuse for Africa being serrated by things like the EU’s economic partnership agreements. African countries must start taking responsibility for not being where it should be as per the Abuja Treaty. And yes; just like it does not make any sense for Zimbabwe and Madagascar not to be benefitting under AGOA, it does not make any sense for Tanzania to be outside COMESA.
The Habari Network Editorial Board
Tuesday September 24, 2013
