Inside Africa: The Growing Reach of the AU
Douglas Sacha
The African Union and European Union are looking to strengthen their ties moving into the future, though COVID-19 may cause some delays on seeing any tangible results of this new partnership. As many other global powers begin to see Africa’s growing geopolitical power, the EU is making moves toward being the AU’s “first partner,” as the EU’s High Representative Josep Borrell referred to the budding relationship. Other international powers like China and the United States have been keeping an eye on the African continent as its potential to be a major player in the global community becomes more evident. China, in particular, has been a major partner in Africa’s infrastructure projects, as previously reported in this column. What exactly will come from the EU-AU partnership is yet to be seen. Critics of the partnership advise the EU to look beyond its own interests when dealing with the relatively young union just beginning to implement its grand ideas for the African continent.
The AU was officially launched in 2002, but its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity, first started laying the groundwork back in the 1960s. According to the AU’s website, “The OAU was the manifestation of the pan-African vision for an Africa that was united, free, and in control of its own destiny.” This came at a time when much of Africa was dealing with the aftermath of colonization and an ongoing battle with apartheid, and much of the OAU’s mission was focused on rebuilding the continent ravaged for years by outside forces using it for resources and political power. Its mission was to defend the African states’ sovereignty and promote continental cooperation and explicitly worked to bring all forms of colonization.
Several decades later, the AU began to shift the focus to specific ideas for economic, political, and social stability across all African countries. Much of its goals surround economic projects, like the much anticipated African Continental Free Trade Agreement set to increase a more stable African economy less reliant on the state of Western or Chinese markets, as well as social and technological advancement. With these goals in mind, the AU put together its masterplan for the next 50 years, titling it Agenda 2063. The union has taken a meticulous approach to outlining its priorities and goals to promote a better Africa. Its goals are broken down into 1. A prosperous Africa, based on inclusive growth and sustainable development, 2. An integrated continent politically united and based on the ideals of pan-Africanism and the vision of African Renaissance, 3. An Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law, 4. A peaceful and secure Africa, and more, further broken down into how the goals could assist in job creation, promoting political stability, and promoting institutions that value African culture and heritage.
The AU’s flagship programs also fall under these overarching categories, like AfCFTA. Others include the integrated high speed train network, the African passport and free movement of people, the pan-African E-network, the Great African Museum, Encyclopaedia Africana, and more. The AU pulls the resources of the diverse African nations to move forward with these projects which are geared toward making Agenda 2063’s vision for Africa a reality. It shares workshops on fighting corruption, promotes more grassroots movements whose ideas align with its own, and highlights the achievements of African countries and people where many in the world only see poverty and violence.
Beyond establishing master plans and projecting its vision for the continent to all African countries, the AU also gets involved in peacekeeping affairs in a region often struggling with political and ethnic unrest, frequently resulting in violence and civil wars. In Darfur, where Sudan is dealing with civil unrest and militias, the AU deployed peacekeeping forces 13,500 soldiers strong while encouraging the groups involved to issue a ceasefire and work on a solution together. Over the years, the AU has conducted similar operations to combat the spread of Islamic extremists finding a home in some regions of the African continent. Human rights are among the AU’s priorities as complaints of violations that come from the pockets of civil unrest which continue to pop up.
The AU is not without its limitations. In regards to peacekeeping, it is not unheard of that the union is unable to gather up sufficient forces to adequately respond to violent, hostile situations. Troops from the United Nations were turned away in Darfur in 2006, leaving the 7,000 AU soldiers alone to handle a conflict they were under-manned to deal with. The conflict in the region continues today. In addition, the AU does not always have the resources to fully implement its big plans for Africa. Rwandan President Paul Kagame has called out the union for its lack of progress in several of its initiatives to address labor concerns. He spoke about the AU not making moves to implement the needed reforms and raised the question of if the AU had bitten off more than it can chew. While he wonders if some of what the AU wants to do could be better handled by smaller, more focused institutions and committees, using East Africa’s work on regional trade as an example, the union tries to assure that it is more than capable of creating the future it sees for Africa as outlined in the Agenda 2063 despite the lack of infrastructure, resources, and the continued saga of military coups and violent protests.
This is where the international partnerships can step in. Though Borrell touts the EU as the AU’s first partner, the United States had stepped into that role in 2006 to assist in various diplomatic positions. It also continues to invest in Africa, along with China, in a multitude of projects. What remains to be seen is what these partnerships could provide the AU as it slowly becomes a recognizable political power in the global arena and if its new partners, already deeply entangled in international ties, can look beyond their own interests and support the AU’s vision.
