Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, assumed leadership of the African Union during its 30th summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, taking over the Chairmanship from Guinea’s President Alpha Conde.
Reform was in the air at this year’s AU Summit. In the build-up to taking over as AU’s rotational Chairperson for the year, Kagame has been pushing hard to make the bloc more efficient and self-sufficient.
The opening of the AU’s 30th summit was delayed by three hours, as Kagame met other Heads of State to discuss his plans for reform.
Going into the meeting, many Countries were already on board with Kagame’s proposed 0.02% levy on taxable imports, with 21 out of 55 States agreeing to it. The only five that were hesitant were Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa.
A Nigerian diplomat explained that Abuja is not against such a proposal but it must be brought in through AU parliament, where all the states of the country can approve it.
A member of the Tunisian delegation also said while the Country supports the principle of reform, such change takes time and more discussions are needed before any commitment can be made.
In his speech, Kagame stressed the need for Africa to join hands in integrating the economy of Africa if it is not to be left behind by the rest of the world.
He also called on African Countries to create a single continental market, integrate its infrastructure and infuse her economies with technology amidst unity.
Reform: a moving train
The “Golden Rules” adopted in 2016 to find new ways of financing the AU, established clear financial management and accountability principles and a Reserve Fund for use by the continent when needed.
Kagame championed a proposal approved in 2016 to levy a 0.2% tax on each country’s imports to finance the AU, which would provide the organization with $1.2billion.
This has met with resistance from the Continent’s five largest economies including Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria, whose contributions alone would make up 48% of the AU’s budget, said Elissa Jobson, an AU specialist, at the International Crisis Group.
“Without those five countries, the levy does not make any sense,” Jobson added.
Further complicating matters is opposition from the United States, which says it is concerned the levy violates World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, said Liesl Louw-Vaudran of the South Africa based Institute for Security Studies.
Other reforms currently being implemented include:
- The Single African Air Transport Market,
- The Continental Free Trade Area;
- Freedom of movement for people across the continent.
While others point out that Kagame does not have a great track record in abiding by democratic values in his own country, some others opine that he has steered Rwanda towards economic growth since its civil war in 1994, which might make his suggestions for reform more plausible.
In his speech, Kagame insisted that, while his reforms will not be effective immediately, they do not have to take years:
“We have in some ways, in the past, helped perpetuate the narrative that Africa is a burden; this way of thinking has been around for years. Fixing it won’t take a year but it need not take more decades either.”
Other past Leaders of the A.U
July 2002 to July 2003, Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa
July 2003 to July 2004, Joaquim Chissano, President of Mozambique
July 2004 to Dec. 2006, Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria
Jan. 2006 to Jan. 2007, Denis Sassou N’Guesso, President of the Republic of the Congo
Jan. 2007 to Jan. 2008, John Kufuor, President of Ghana
Jan. 2008 to Jan. 2009, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of Tanzania
Feb. 2009 to Jan. 2010, Muammar Gaddafi, leader of Libya
Jan. 2010 to Jan. 2011, Bingu wa Mutharika, President of Malawi
Jan. 2011 to Jan. 2012, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea
Jan. 2012 to Jan. 2013, Thomas Yayi Boni, President of Benin
Jan. 2013 to Jan. 2014, Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia
Jan. 2014 to Jan. 2015, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of Mauritania
Jan. 2015 to Jan. 2016, Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe
Jan. 2016 to Jan. 2017, Idriss Deby, President of Chad
Jan. 2017 to Jan. 2018, Alpha Conde, President of Guinea
Jan. 2018 and incumbent Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda