Guardian Nigeria
•Demand action to boost intra-African trade
President Bola Tinubu and former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, called for the strengthening of regional economic communities to drive integration, strengthen trade ties among nations, deepen democracy and accelerate development across the continent.
They said that through bitter experience, Nigeria had learned that the solution to poor democratic governance was to have more democracy. Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja during a Summit on the State of Democracy in Africa, Tinubu called for the revitalisation of sub-regional blocs, like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) as vehicles to usher in an era of robust intra-African commerce, economic growth and job creation.
He said: “The immense potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can only be maximally realised when there is concrete economic integration and collaboration at the different sub-regional levels,”
Tinubu urged regional bodies to prioritise minimising trade barriers, promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth, human capital development as well as value addition in agriculture and agro-allied sectors.
“We must be deliberate on ways through which African sub-regional organisations can help foster better intra-African trade, achieve better food and energy security, promote higher rates of youth employment, alleviate poverty and realise greater prosperity for our people,” the President said.
He noted that a reinvigorated sub-regional cooperation ws critical for the successful implementation of the path-breaking AfCFTA by harmonising rules and regulations to facilitate the free movement of goods, services and people.
“The tragedies of our nations and histories inspire our concern about the reversals of democratic governments, particularly in West Africa. That’s why we are alarmed by the military coups in Mali, Guinea Conakry, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, and Gabon,” he said.
Earlier in his keynote remarks, Obasanjo, said the answer to the myriad of challenges confronting democracy in Africa was in re-examining the model of democracy passed on to countries in the continent by their colonial masters.
He said leaders across the continent must come together to devise a form of contextual democracy that takes into account past experiences, addresses contemporary challenges and emphasises good leadership, strong institutions, and a stable middle class, all reflecting Africa’s rich cultural heritage.
The former President, who expressed concern about the growing discontent for democracy in the continent, opined that the model that would work for Africa was one that would take into account the typical and predominant political system, and is “suitably and appropriately placed to serve the objectives of the African people”.
In her goodwill message, the UN Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the SDGs, Dr Amina Mohammed, said the active participation of women and young people in politics, and other decision-making processes would strengthen democracy in the continent.
On his part, the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association and member of the Board of Directors, Shehu Musa Yar’adua Foundation, Abubakar Mahmoud, said the focus of the summit, which is “the state of democracy in Africa”, aligned with the cornerstone of the Foundation’s mission and vision.
Also present at the event were the President of the Ford Foundation, Mr Darren Walker; Executive Director of Trust Africa, Dr Ebrima Sall, and co-founder of Afrobarometer, Prof Gyimah Boadi, among others.
