Africa rising through regional economic integration

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• Paul Amuna 11 years ago

  It would interest you to know that Kofi Annan shared these same views when he worked briefly at the Economic Commission for Africa in the 1970s!!! The "economic integration" of Africa was an original thinking and philosophy o ...
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  It would interest you to know that Kofi Annan shared these same views when he worked briefly at the Economic Commission for Africa in the 1970s!!! The "economic integration" of Africa was an original thinking and philosophy of the Osagyefo, Dr Kwame Nkrumah who was vilified and mocked by ignorant, backward and brainwashed African leaders and academics of the time. In his book "Africa Must Unite" he made very powerful arguments about the need for such integration, citing the fortunes even of the USA following their unification after the US Civil War in the 1860s. He also cited the strength of the then Soviet Union and despite a relatively weak political system at the time, it is quite obvious now the wide disparities that exist between the now disparate former members of the Soviet Union. Nkrumah also predicted at the time, the rise of China and how it was likely to become the next "global economic giant" because Mao had succeeded in unifying what hitherto was a dysfunctional nation governed by what can only be described in today's language as "war Lords".
  
  It was not only fascinating for me as a young man reading Reading Nkrumah's arguments for Africa's economic integration as I was growing up, it was shocking to look back at the fact that our so-called intellectuals at the time, some of whom boasted "Oxford Degrees" thought it crass,and joined the Azikiwes, Nyereres, Tubmans and others in sending out the cheap propaganda that Nkrumah simply wanted to extend his hegemony across Africa and was "power-drunk". Where has this landed us 50 years later? And now, we have an intellectual such as yourself, Paul Frimpong, from one of those very institutions (and department) which 'championed" Nkrumah's condemnation, calling for the very same thing he had advocated so many years ago. I'll be damned!!!
  
  Nonetheless, not only do I strongly support your wise call, I would urge our leaders to take serious notice and act. Yes, they may tell us that they are already doing that, or trying to do that but that is not enough.
  
  The New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) was set up to help drive our economic prospects but I am not sure if it was an original African idea and 'Africa-led', and thus its ownership to me is rather suspect. The "economic emancipation" without which we cannot truly be independent, and which Nkrumah emphasised so much during his time, cannot, and will not be realised if outside vested interests seek to "champion" Africa's drive to improve our economies, nor would is work if our own masses and leaders do not seek a common solution to our numerous problems of under development.
  
  That the African continent is one of the richest on earth is without question and I repeat what Nkrumah once said - "Africa is rich, it is Africans who are poor" and for those who believe in religion and faith, I am sure it is said somewhere in the "Good Book" that "the people perish because they lack vision". Let me put it another way - 'Not only do the people lack vision, they conspire to kill or eliminate their true visionaries, wallow int heir ignorance and live in a fool's paradise doing the bidding the work of the wise who come in to plunder and to grow fat on their beef on the pretence of helping them to feed their starving'.
  
  I for my life, cannot understand how and why we continue to think that somehow, going it alone or forming little pockets of blocs and partnerships with external controls in this post-neo-colonialist era will solve our problems. I'm afraid it is a "merry go-round" or "sankofa" and 50 years from now, I sincerely hope we (Africans) will not still be in a state of lamentation because we are still 'killing' those with the vision to help us find our way forward.

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• KOFI AGYAPONG 11 years ago

  If economic regional integration works why did the common market in Europe failed and why are our professors and economic pundits advocating regional integrations in Africa?.
  
  These are myriads blinding the inexperienced e ...
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  If economic regional integration works why did the common market in Europe failed and why are our professors and economic pundits advocating regional integrations in Africa?.
  
  These are myriads blinding the inexperienced educators and European mentality Africans. Why are Europeans beginning to adopt political unity in EU? The answer lies in understanding the Americans who understood real monetary policies for contiguous lands in 1700 while Europe was at war and followed Adam Smith "the Wealth of Nations" running all over the world stealing Africans and other resources to build Europe.
  
  Africans should learn from the Americans and the Europeans for EU has failed before it began because they lack good faith in accepting themselves as one people living in one land. It is going to take real political unity under one law to bring lasting economic development to Africa. AU has work to do to build confidence in our UNITY as one people living on one continent-Country called Africa.

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