The Horn Of Africa States: Challenges For New Chairperson Of The African Union – OpEd
Saturday the 15th of February 2025 will go into the annals of the history of the Horn of Africa States region. It marks the election of the first leader from the region to become the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
It is the main office of the Union which manages and runs the day-to-day affairs of the organization, which brings together some 55 member states, the largest grouping of countries in the world.
Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf was elected in a secret ballot and replaces the outgoing AU Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat of Chad. Mr. Youssouf was Djibouti’s foreign minister since 2005.
He inherits an organization which has many bags full of troubles around the continent from its east to its west, from its north to its south and, indeed, in its center. These include among others the following main challenges:
Streamlining the Regional Blocs
H.E. Mahmoud Youssouf has ahead of him many challenges but the first is perhaps realigning the current regional infrastructure of the continent. He was elected on the basis of a set structure of the continent which composes of five regions – the Western region, the eastern region, the northern region, the southern region and the central region. Yet there are eight and growing other regional blocs, which sometimes overlap each other in the continent. This presents a confused map of the continent and complicates its administration, the job he is to do over the next four years. It looks mostly like quicksand the way these regions are structured.
They include the ECOWAS of West Africa, which has now given an offshoot called the Alliance of the Sahel States. There is the SADC of Southern Africa, the EAC of East Africa, the Arab Maghreb Union, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and of course the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), with a potential offshoot of this organization, the Horn of Africa States (HAS) region. Many countries are in multiple regional blocs, and this does not make sense, if one has to manage a streamlined organization.
Economic Development
The continent is said to be poor, but its poverty is not related to its rich natural resources both above soil and sub-soil and in its oceans and seas. It is mostly mismanagement, wars (civil or otherwise) and, of course, foreign interferences of different kinds, be it religious terrorism or mercenaries, and hypocritical aid. The United Nations reports that the continent holds some 30 per cent of all natural minerals, 12 per cent of all oil reserves and 8 per cent of natural gas. It is said to hold 40 percent of the world’s gold reserves and up to 90 percent of its platinum and chromium reserves (Al Jazeera.com – Mapping Africa’s Natural resources).
The continent is home to some 1.5 billion youthful population which is still growing. These present themselves as both a large market and a large source of labor. It should not be a poor continent, and there it is, a more serious challenge for the newly elected and younger Chairperson. He has to work hard and put a lot of efforts in improving the economic status of the continent and bargaining for more reasonable returns for its natural resources in the place of dependency on foreign aid from other continents. There should be a revisit of the status quo.
When the economic imbalances of the continent are corrected, the instabilities and the political upheavals of the continent will naturally disappear or be reduced drastically. It is all related to surviving from Dinosauric times to the present. Most troubles in the continent are rooted in the unequal distribution of the small economic pie that is currently available, as a result of mismanagement and wrong leaderships.
It is where a common bargaining tool, the African Union, which he has just taken over, becomes a relevant organization than has hitherto been the case. It is a tough job ahead.
Correcting the AU financing
Capital is the original source of finance for any organization, be it private or public. Private businesses raise enough capital before they launch any business venture and public organizations raise capital through taxes to deliver the services they are supposed to deliver to a country. When there is a shortfall, different organizations raise the required capital and financing for a job through different means. Private business may raise capital and invite new investors through issuance of new shares or borrow from credit institutions at a price. Public organizations do also borrow or may raise taxes.
International organizations are funded through the contributions of the member states, which should include a new heading in their budgets for the amounts they are supposed to pay and/or agreed that each country should pay and they should pay! It is a responsibility they have taken and they must fulfill their obligations.
The African Union and many other African organizations are created in the hope that other countries will finance them not only for their economic initiatives, but even for their administrative machineries. This what has failed many African organizations, including the African Union.
It is reported that approximately 75% of financing of the African Union’s financing come from foreign sources including European, American, and other countries. The 55 African member states hardly pay or pay little to the activities of the AU. How do they expect it to succeed in its endeavors? Do they expect the elected leaders, Mr. Youssouf, in this instance, to carry a begging bowl and go around the world to beg for more?
This is a challenge, which H.E. Chairperson Youssouf will have to address, to ensure that governments in Africa should include in their budgets a heading with respect to the contributions they should be making and this should be a function of the financial needs of the organization, whether these are related to its administration or other initiatives on which the institution is working on. Financial independence of the African Union is a must. How much the new chairperson will deliver of the works in this respect will, of course, depend on how much effort he and his team will put on this matter.
Avoiding the Old Pitfalls
Most African leaders are kept busy on dealing with security issues, delivery of democratic values and other benign issues that do not add one iota to the lives of people. On the contrary, they only cause more problems. Should there be a better economic and financial infrastructure, better employment opportunities and educational and health services, most people would mind their lives and their businesses. It is when these are not delivered that volatility and violence, two issues which mark the continent, arise and keep leaders of the continent busy and occupied.
The new chairperson would be well advised if he avoids these old pitfalls. He would also do better if he truly works on securing adequate and sustainable financing from the member states of the African Union. The member countries can provide such funding for they have the funds but waste it either on personal enrichments or other personal gains or in accounts beyond the reach of the continent in other continents – Dubai, London, Paris or Geneva and more recently in Shanghai and other Asian cities.
Africa is a young continent when one looks at its population. The new Chairperson of the African continent should cater for the needs of that population. It is one of the main reasons the new chairperson was elected, as he was seen to be much younger than his rival from Kenya, more vigorous and more in line with the growing youthful population and leaders of the continent, who know what they want and have the capacity to attain and achieve them.
