ANNOUNCEMENT


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Saturday 14 January 2012

NEWS & REPORT

AU wants peace, security and bigger global role in 2012

Washington — The African Union (AU) has unveiled an ambitious wish-list of priorities for Africa that would give the continent a stronger global voice, boost democracy and encourage peace and security.


AU Ambassador to the United States, Amina Ali of Tanzania, presented the list of top priorities at a conference on 11 January held at Washington think-tank, the Brookings Institution.
Among them were the regulars - peace and security, enhanced democracy and good governance - as well as improved regional trade and greater involvement of the continent's large diaspora in African affairs.
The first priority for Africa was the AU's resolve to review its international partnerships to ensure they bring greater benefits to Africa.

"We are working to be able to build closer partnerships with our international partners so that Africa can really attain a sustainable economy," Ali told the conference.
The AU wants Africa to manufacture and export finished products to its trading partners rather than just selling them the raw materials as it does now. She cited China, India, the EU and US and other rising stars in trade with the continent, including Turkey and Latin America, and said the AU had held talks on the new breed of partnerships with some of them.
The AU also wants Africa to have a veto-wielding seat on the UN Security Council, and a place at the G20 negotiating table, Ali said.
The peace and security that have eluded Africa for decades continue to be high on the list of problems that the continent needs to resolve, but she spoke only of conflict in Sudan. "The AU will continue to look into issues for Sudan," Ali said.
A report released at the conference, Foresight Africa, highlighted other tinderboxes and called for "urgent instability and warfare policy reviews" to meet the challenges the continent faces in not only Sudan but also in Somalia and Nigeria.
The report compares the instability in Africa to the decade-old US-led war in Afghanistan, and warned that if "the current trend continues", a swathe of Africa, stretching from the Horn to Nigeria, "is likely to experience increasing instability and warfare, while narratives of jihadist revolt and terrorist technologies circulate among its citizens".
The unrest could affect Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sudan, Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia, the report says. Clearly, the AU has to do more than just supervise goings-on in Sudan and its new neighbour, South Sudan.
The AU also pledged to "review the mechanism for democratic process in Africa" after the wake-up call from the uprisings in the Arab world, including North Africa, a year ago, Ali said.
The AU will press member states to sign a charter ratified by the AU assembly in 2007, which aims to strengthen democracy and good governance in Africa, she said.
The charter was inspired in part by concern that "unconstitutional changes of governments" are a key cause of insecurity and "violent conflict" in Africa, and by a determination to "strengthen good governance through the institutionalization of transparency, accountability and participatory democracy".
As of November last year, 38 of the AU's 54 member states had signed the charter, but only 10 had ratified it. It is notable that nearly all the countries in the areas of Africa that are "likely to experience increasing instability and warfare" have signed the charter, with the exception of Somalia and Eritrea in the east and Cameroon in the west.
Food security
The AU will take steps to establish "food reserves" that give areas that face drought a "cushion" against famine, said Ali. She also voiced fears that parts of west Africa could be hit by drought this year, highlighting the need to rapidly establish food reserves - a tough challenge in a time of high food prices and an economic crisis in Europe, which has hit Africa.
Africa also has to "secure access to markets and competitive prices for farmers" or "risk inciting unrest" and food riots, the Foresight Africa report says.
AU officials will push in 2012 to establish a free trade zone that spans the length and breadth of the continent, Ali said. It would boost commerce between countries, a key step towards development.
At present, less than 15 percent of African trade stays on the continent - the rest is sold abroad.
The last item on the AU wish-list is greater involvement of the African diaspora, said to outnumber Africans at home, in the continent's affairs.
The AU is due to host an African diaspora summit in May, Ali said.
Ali stressed the importance of the diaspora to the continent: remittances represent a larger revenue source for Africa than overseas development aid.
AU wish-list for 2012
•    Revamped international partnerships to bring more benefits to Africa
•    Peace and security
•    Good governance and a better democratic process
•    Fewer internal trade barriers leading to an Africa-wide free trade zone
•    Greater involvement in African affairs for the Diaspora
•    Improved food security

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]

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Editor's Mail

Love the article on Gaddafi
We must rise above tribalism & divide & rule of the colonialist who stole & looted our treasure & planted their puppets to lord it over us..they alone can decide on whosoever is performing & the one that is corrupt..but the most corrupt nations are the western countries that plunder the resources of other nations & make them poorer & aid the rulers to steal & keep such ill gotten wealth in their country..yemen,syria etc have killed more than gadhafi but its not A̷̷̴ good investment for the west(this is laughable)because oil is not in these countries..when obasanjo annihilated the odi people in rivers state, they looked away because its in their favour & interest..one day! Samosa Iyoha

Hello from
Johannesburg
I was amazed to find a website for Africans in Hungary.
Looks like you have quite a community there. Here in SA we have some three million Zimbabweans living in exile and not much sign of going home ... but in Hungary??? Hope to meet you on one of my trips to Europe; was in Steirmark Austria near the Hungarian border earlier this month. Every good wish for 2011. Geoff in Jo'burg

I'm impressed by
ANH work but...
Interesting interview...
I think from what have been said, the Nigerian embassy here seem to be more concern about its nationals than we are for ourselves. Our complete disregard for the laws of Hungary isn't going to help Nigeria's image or going to promote what the Embassy is trying to showcase. So if the journalists could zoom-in more focus on Nigerians living, working and studying here in Hungary than scrutinizing the embassy and its every move, i think it would be of tremendous help to the embassy serving its nationals better and create more awareness about where we live . Taking the issues of illicit drugs and forged documents as typical examples.. there are so many cases of Nigerians been involved. But i am yet to read of it in e.news. So i think if only you and your journalists could write more about it and follow up on the stories i think it will make our nationals more aware of what to expect. I wouldn't say i am not impressed with your work but you need to be more of a two way street rather than a one way street . Keep up the good work... Sylvia

My comment to the interview with his excellency Mr. Adedotun Adenrele Adepoju CDA a.i--

He is an intelligent man. He spoke well on the issues! Thanks to Mr Hakeem Babalola for the interview it contains some expedient information.. B.Ayo Adams click to read editor's mail
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