So there I was thinking about what needed to be done about the spate of drug trafficking in the sub-region of ECOWAS, when I started thinking about what ought to happen at the continental level.
Did you know that the AU has an AU Plan of Action on Drug Control and Crime Prevention ? I started looking closer to home, remembering that there was an institution in Senegal--an ECOWAS institution--that is supposed to combat fraud. I'm not too sure about crime. The website is http://www.giaba.org, and is known as the Intergovernmental Action Group Against Money-Laundering in West Africa.
Could the AU ever think about establishing an AU equivalent of the FBI? Talk of it in the ECOWAS region has resulted in names like the ECOWAS Criminal Intelligence Bureau.
As far back as 2001/2002, talks had been there for one. It's been a good seven years now, and I don't see anything concrete coming out of that--but, hey, let's not lose hope.
This is the first-ever post, and it is bound to sound a little pessimistic about the whole Pan-African project. I will certainly keep the fire burning, and be blogging more about some of the challenges that exist that we can talk about to bring pressure to bear on our dear AU member states.
I look forward to seeing some comments and [constructive] criticisms. I hope to paste some Facebook queries and concerns every Friday here.
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