Africa is
the one continent that can go it alone, with enough fertile land to feed the
whole world.
Enough
water resources to harness for our needs, either for irrigation or power
generation.
We can be
energy independent and stay green in the process:
Windmills
along the hundreds of miles of coastlines all around Africa, solar panels in
the Sahara, or the Kalahari; dams on a few of our many rivers. We won't need to
drill in Angola, Nigeria, Gabon or Equatorial Guinea.
We have
the brains to develop the technology needed to harness our resources to optimal
use; where such technology is not already available, the technology can be
hired.
We will
certainly have to address the numerous conflicts, some of which are engineered
by powers outside of Africa for economic and geopolitical reasons. Which makes
it imperative to make the African union a more efficient and meaningful body.
The point
being made here is that should we reset the clock and we all live on our share
of planet earth, Africa will endure longer than any other. Rather than needing
anyone else, we can be totally self-sustaining and have the rest of the world
needing our resources as they currently do. But that ship has sailed a long
time ago, and there is no gains in wishing things were different. The gain lies
in actually turning things around and making our resources work for us all,
equally.
Making
the African union a more relevant voice on the continent than the UN (most of
whose members will see a united, independent Africa as a threat to their
economic hegemony, and therefore move to hinder any such progress). If the EU
can reign supreme on European matters, the African union too can take on a
similar role on African affairs...speak with one voice with Africa's interest above
all else.
The main
obstacle standing in the way of any potential progress seems to be political.
Be it political unrest, lack of commitment on the part of the political leaders
or institutionalized corruption backed by bad economic policies.
The status quo is untenable. As has been stated numerous
times before, the sooner the issues confounding Africa’s progress are addressed,
the better for the millions of poor and struggling Africans.
Remaining part of international bodies like the UN
and the various other institutions is essential for any progress in the affairs
of Africa. We cannot afford to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world,
for despite all the shortcomings, there is a lot to be gained. The task at hand
therefore, is coming up with strategies that will help make these international
bodies serve Africa and Africans better, not just on occasion but consistently.
Let us start with the most basic of our needs – food
self-sufficiency! With food security, we can move on to other aspects of
development. As long as we rely on others for our sustenance, we will forever
be beholden to them for their ‘support’. Where is the dignity in that?
