The kingdom
of Morocco left the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now (AU) about 33 years
ago to protest against the admission of Saharaoui Arab Democratic
Republic
(SADR) into the union. In January 2017, the Alawite Kingdom made a surprise
return to the African Union (AU) and at the last summit of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) indicated its interest to join the
community. Tunisia is also interested in joining ECOWAS while the return of
Mauritania is almost imminent, as soon as all the formalities are concluded.
The sudden
interest of these countries in the African Union and ECOWAS is no surprise. The
organisations have become a success story. The AU had won the political
struggle for the liberation of the continent from colonialism and imperialism
and it has been tackling the daunting challenges of economic freedom in diverse
ways, one of which is the creation of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to
address the economic, political and security challenges of the continent at the
regional level, before they merge to form an African Economic Community and
Market.
The ECOWAS
is one of these regional economic communities. Others are the Economic
Community of Central African States (ECCAS) for Central Africa, the Common
Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA)
and South African Development Community (SADC). These RECs are not exclusive
clubs, but units of an entity which would come together, progressively with
adjacent RECs fusing into a unit, until all the Regional Economic Communities
subsume into a continental African Economic Community.
ECOWAS had
turned out to be model and a good example of a successful community. It had
maintained peace in the region through the ECOMOG, security arrangement,
established ECOWAS Parliament and Court, adopted common fiscal policies, common
passport and removed restrictions on the movement of goods and citizens in the
region. Some of the RECs have not lived up to expectations. The unfortunate
Arab Maghreb Union could be considered as technically defunct because of
irreconcilable differences between member states, especially between Morocco
and Algeria over Western Sahara. The collapse of Libya virtually ended the
community.
The trio of
Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania, erstwhile members of the defunct UMA are
isolated and left in the lurch. This challenge may have influenced the quest of
Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania to join ECOWAS. This demarche does not
contradict the charter and vision of the AU, which supports the integration of
adjacent RECs as a way of accelerating the eventual full integration of the
continent.
The other
states in the Maghreb should be encouraged to join ECOWAS to complete the
absorption of UMA to ECOWAS. Trans regional organisations which cut across
regions within the continent are not unusual, but common.
The
Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) -with 24 state membership cuts
across ECOWAS, ECCAS, COMESA, and UMA, countries. UEMOA, the Francophone
monetary Zone cuts across ECOWAS and ECCAS. There are economic communities of
nations which share common interests and challenges at the international level,
and inter-continental levels.D-8 countries which is an economic association of
developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East is another good
example. It is the same with the South America- Africa Forum (ASACOF), which
links the two continents to promote economic cooperation which hitherto was
insignificant, but increased exponentially since the creation of the Forum.
In
conclusion, Africa had won the political war of liberation from colonialism and
imperialism, but, the challenges of economic freedom and Human Development
Index (HDI) is a battle which must be won and can only be won, through
concerted cooperation, foresight and inclusion. The application of Morocco and
Tunisia to join ECOWAS is not an anomaly, but a reasonable desire to overcome
the daunting challenges of underdevelopment which should not be treated with
cynicism.
• Ambassador
Rasheed was director of Trade and Investment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Guardian
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