"A toothless bulldog!” This is how renowned lawyer Patrick Lumumba often describes the African Union.
The AU was meant to lift Africa out of the troubles that have plagued it since the end of colonialism.
Many are wondering what exactly is the its plan for Africa, especially as everything seems to be falling apart.
The AU’s mandate was to help Africa, a continent that is incredibly rich in resources and development opportunities, to rise quickly into economic stability, peace and sustainable development. However, it has failed miserably.
There have been concerns over the ability of the AU to effectively mediate conflicts, which continue to increase by the day in different regions.
The Great Lakes countries, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel have not known long periods of peace since independence.
The latest conflict being the war in Congo’s Goma that has left thousands dead and millions displaced.
In Sudan, a civil war is raging. Countries such as Mozambique, Tunisia, and Comoros have also witnessed tensions resulting in highly contested elections.
Besides this, the worsening climate change situation that is ravaging the lives and livelihoods of Africans through prolonged droughts, floods and diseases has led to a deterioration of already weak economies, with funds being diverted to cover response and mitigation plans. Further, malnutrition and hunger have increased significantly.
As all this is going on, United States Agency for International Development funds, which most countries depended on, were recently withdrawn, adding further to the woes of a continent with no formula for selfdependency.
Therefore, a call for the reformation of the AU, to guide the transformation of the continent, has been taken up by millions of people.
This has been demonstrated by the anxiety and focus on the just concluded election to choose the next AU Commission chairperson after the exit of Chad’s Moussa Faki.
New chairperson Mahmoud Youssouf, who will serve as the chief executive, accounting officer, legal representative and programmes coordinator, among other roles, must move with speed to transform the continent.
He must acknowledge the urgent needs of the continent that seems to be on the verge of destruction given the debts it has ingested and the external forces tearing it apart in search of precious minerals.
The leadership must focus on enhancing good governance across the continent. A determined fight against corruption is essential.
The AU must work to position Africa to reclaim its rightful place as the richest continent in the world.
Morris Makabe is a
communication specialist
