AU Summit Kicks Off

The African Union Summit has kicked off in Accra, Ghana with the opening of the African Union (AU) Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC), as part of the process to plot the way forward to a unified continent.

The first round of high level meetings began Monday, with a call for the PRC members convening at the International Convention Centre, to apply their minds to the unique and significant process ahead.

"Excellencies, you have before you a number of documents which, hopefully, articulate African issues in greater detail and depth and you are required to consider them and make appropriate recommendations to the Executive Council," Ghana's Foreign Minister Nana Akufo Addo said in his opening address.

"I urge you all to put Africa first in all your deliberations to make our Union achieve its objectives and our continent a better place to live."

The PRC is meeting on Monday and Tuesday and will deliberate on issues including the Grand Debate on a unified African government.

PRC delegates are also deliberating on other issues of concern to the continent, such as legal and institutional matters including the report on the status of treaties entered into by the AU and its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity.

Socio-economic matters will also be under the spotlight, such as Africa's progress on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the report on the AU's relationship with Regional Economic Communities (such as the Southern African Development Community and the Economic Community of West African States, in which Ghana is located).

The PRC will deliberate and make recommendations on these and other matters, and forward them to the Executive Council of Foreign Ministers who will meet on 28 to 29 June for their 11th Ordinary Session.

The Executive Council will in turn, make their own assessments and forward them to the AU Heads of State, who are to meet from 1 to 3 July.

Minister Addo, who also sits on the Executive Council, explained that the 9th Ordinary Session of the Heads of State Summit was a crucial one "which seeks to determine the way forward for the African Union...which is firmly anchored in good governance, respect for human rights and sound economic management."

The minister said Africans have a clear idea of where they had come from and what challenges currently face their continent, a fitting statement from the official whose country celebrates 50 years of independence from Britain this year.

"We rejoice at the fact that Ghana's independence on March 6, 1957 changed fundamentally the outlook of the African continent and its status and role in the world."

"Developments in our era, especially the process of globalisation which is engendering greater and greater integration of entire regions and continents, enjoin us to make, at this Accra Summit, historic and far-reaching decisions about the political and economic integration of our continent," Minister Addo told delegates from over 50 African countries and their development and political partners from across the globe.

"This is thus the relevance of devoting this summit to a deliberation on the future direction of our continent."

Speaking on 24 May at a seminar commemorating Africa Day, Dr Chris Landsberg, Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, outlined the three possible models to be considered by African leaders towards continental integration.

The first type is the "United States of Africa" model, which Dr Landsberg described as a "radical" view led by the Libyan President Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

"It 'plagiarises' [Former Ghanaian President Kwame] Nkrumah's ideas of a united Africa and wants an African government now," Dr Landsberg explained in his presentation.

Its drawbacks however are that "Gaddafi's model does not talk of democracy, values, human rights and governance."

The second option is the "African Union Government". It is led by former Nigerian President Olesegun Obasanjo.

"It advocates for the taking of 15 continental institutions created under the African Union and transforming them into the 55th state in Africa and the rest of the states should cede some sovereignty and functions to it," said Dr Landsberg.

"Obasanjo rushes to say that the union should be established by 2015 with a president serving for a three year renewable term."

The third option, the "Union of African States" is led by South African President Thabo Mbeki.

Dr Landsberg explained that this model advocated for taking the traditional AU route and turning Africa into a union of states, subscribing to common goals and values.

"It recognises that this will take a long time and that we should in the mean time embark on strengthening three sets of institutions: executive institutions, judicial institutions and financial/technical institutions."

According to Dr Landsberg, this is the predominant view among African leaders.

"In Accra a compromise is going to be achieved on realistic time lines for an African government. The radicals are going to be drawn to compromise and pursue strengthening financial institutions among others," Dr Landsberg said.

Once the PRC and Executive Council have completed their work and handed over their recommendations to the Heads of State, the leaders will review their options, after-which Africa's new direction will be known.

"This is the process that will strengthen our Union so that it can be a formidable force in the 21st century for the defence and advancement of Africa's strategic interests," Minister Addo said.