How Ecowas Can Help reduce Ghana's Dependency on Foreign Aid

“The Accidental Ecowas & AU Citizen”:

Aid-Exit Plan Found: Enter ECOWAS...

By E.K.Bensah Jr

Last week, the Business and Financial Times paper covered an all-important story entitled “Wanted:Aid-Exit Plan”.  In my view, it brought into sharp relief the absolute necessity by African countries of pursuing by any means necessary a more sub-regional path through ECOWAS.

The premise of the article was rooted in three points: first, given Ghana's graduation in November 2010 from low-income to lower-middle income status, it is likely to lose out concessional finance from the World Bank, “which has been the country's most important creditor for the past three decades”; second, after Ghana's recalibration of its GDP per capita to USD1,363, the country was “travelling the road” of losing “not just IDA funding, but other bilateral and multilateral assistance.” Finally, for Ghana to “build up its credibility”, it must—as per the findings of Western economists and consultants--”show fiscal restraint, maintain macroeconomic stability and demonstrate that it is capable of putting funds to productive use.”

All these points notwithstanding, the picture is too gloomy, and optimism can easily be found through ECOWAS. 

New Realities,Old opportunities

The bottom line is that cheap loans may have dried up, but through the Lome-based ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), Ghana can easily obtain funding to finance both its private and public sector initiatives.  

Formerly known as the ECOWAS Fund, EBID is the principal financial institution of ECOWAS. With its holding company operating through its two subsidiaries—the public-sector-focused ECOWAS Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the private-sector-led ECOWAS Regional Investment Bank (ERIB has), EBID remains the financing bank of NEPAD projects in the region. In so many ways, it is the European Investment Bank counterpart in the ECOWAS sub-region, and has been around since the inception of ECOWAS in 1975.

Observers of the sub-region believe EBID has, in many respects, been a trailblazer in the sub-region in the way it has maintained a consistent brief of fostering greater integration in the sub-region among its member states – especially in the light of the conflicts that mired the sub-region in the early nineties. So focused has it been in facilitating sub-regional integration that in 2004, in conjunction with the African Development Bank, it set up a Conflict Prevention Fund, which is indeed managed by EBID. 

Unbeknownst to many, EBID is the largest shareholder of the Ecobank group, which also has its headquarters in Lome. EBID’s subsidiary ERIB also has shares in the capital of the so-called “ECOMARINE”, which is a West African maritime transport company, while ERDF co-finances integration of electric networks of Niger; Benin; Togo; and Ghana., extending it towards Cote d’ivoire.

Simply put, ERIB—concentrating on promoting the private sector and commercial sub-sectors in the ECOWAS zone—grants medium and long-term loans for commercial projects in all sectors; conversely ERDF—specializing in the disbursement of funds to the public sector—finances basic economic infrastructure and poverty-alleviation projects. These include medium and long-term concessionary loans for basic infrastructure, as well as economic and social projects in member states.

Ghana and EBID

Ghana naturally has a relationship that is expressed through its relationship as a member of ECOWAS. More recently, though, EBID came closer to home in Ghana when in May this year, no less than the incumbent Minister of Finance Dr.Kwabena Duffour was elected Chairman of the governing board of the ECOWAS Bank for Development and Investment (EBID) at the end of the bank’s ninth ordinary session in Accra.

At the same meeting, Duffour said that in Ghana, EBID had financed private sector in the areas of hotel, infrastructure, engineering and social amenities. With regard to the public sector, EBID’s interventions in Ghana include electrification of 114 communities in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions to the tune of $30 million; modernization of the headquarters of the Ghana national fire Service at the cost of $15 million.

In October, Ghana News Agency reported that EBID is negotiating with Chinese banks “to raise $1.5 billion to finance infrastructure projects in four French-speaking countries.” It further reported that in July this year, EBID signed a credit line of $150 million with India for various projects in member states. The Accra meeting was likely to also appoint a new president of the bank, as well as set new limits in authorized capital for the bank.

The meeting would conclude with Dr.Duffour himself saying that the meeting discussed strategies to make the institution “more relevant to West African economies in the face of the current financial crisis in Europe.”

Given these statements, it then beggars serious belief that any Ghanaian might feel that an “aid-exit plan” needs to be found. None needs finding. We already have it right here in the sub-region we like to call the ECOWAS zone.

Add to that the fact that ECOWAS is finalizing a Common External Tariff(CET) for its customs union, which would, in theory, give the sub-region some clout at the World Trade Organisation, and you have an ECOWAS that needs monitoring now more than ever to ensure that it delivers a sustainable and prosperous West Africa to all its citizens.

In 2009, in his capacity as a “Do More Talk Less Ambassador” of the 42^nd Generation—an NGO that promotes and discusses Pan-Africanism--Emmanuel gave a series of lectures on the role of ECOWAS and the AU in facilitating a Pan-African identity. Emmanuel owns "Critiquing Regionalism" (http://www.critiquing-regionalism.org). Established in 2004 as an initiative to respond to the dearth of knowledge on global regional integration initiatives worldwide, this non-profit blog features regional integration initiatives on MERCOSUR/EU/Africa/Asia and many others. You can reach him on ekbensah@ekbensah.net / Mobile: +233.268.687.653.

Of 9th, 11th, and 21st September, or Unleashing the AUfrican Lion to the World

“The Accidental Ecowas & AU Citizen”:

Of 9^th, 11^th, and 21^st September, or Unleashing the AU-frican Lion to the World

By E.K.Bensah Jr

I am not surprised much of the Ghanaian media missed it; I could not have expected anything less. It was always going to be obvious that they would remember the much-publicised 10^th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the US and be totally oblivious to developments on the continent. If we had a media more sensitized to what was going on in Africa and its regional economic communities, we might have had more column inches on one major anniversary and a conference that ended on that all-important anniversary.

9^th September is “Sirte Declaration Day”…

The all-important anniversary is that of 9^th September. This day is ineluctably etched in African integration history as a day when the Sirte Declaration was mooted in Libya. The significance of this declaration has to do with the fact that it is the resolution adopted by the-then Organisation of African Unity on 9 September 1999, at the fourth Extraordinary Session of the OAU Assembly of African Heads of State and Government held at Sirte, Libya. Policy-makers and aficionados of African unity remember Sirte to be blazing the trail on where Africa needs to go. If we can remember the importance of the Abuja Treaty of 1991 setting the blueprint for continental integration, then we can accept Sirte to be the engine for that integration. With it, three major things happened.

First, it set the tone for the establishment of the African Union as we know it today; second,  it speeded up the implementation of the provisions of the Abuja Treaty, to create an African Economic Community, and its attendant Pan-African institutions of the Nigeria-based African Central Bank; Cameroon-based African Monetary Fund; the African Court of Justice; ( Libya-based African Investment Bank ) and Pan-African Parliament, with the Parliament to be established by 2000. Third, it prepared a Constitutive Act of the African Union that would be ratified by 31 December 2000 and become effective the following year in 2001. 

…and the “real” African Union day

Also unbeknownst to the Ghanaian media was the highly-important fifth edition of the Conference of African Ministers of Integration (COMAI V). Held in Kenya from 5-9 September, the objective of the meeting was three-fold: to consider the report of the “Status of Integration in Africa 2011”; and a report on the “implementation of Recommendations from COMAI IV”; and review a study on “the quantification of scenarios of rationalization of RECs”. 

Simply put, the rationalization of RECs refers to AU member states deciding to stick to one regional economic community – instead of the two or three some of them belong to. Policy-makers at the UNECA and AU Commission see this as pivotal to achieving the African Economic Community by 2034. Of equal importance, also, is the Continental Integration Fund for supporting the UNECA-sponsored “Minimum Integration Programme” that will help RECs deliver on harmonization of programmes consistent with the Abuja Treaty. On that, the African Development Bank is ready to support ways of resourcing this facility that will complement existing alternative financing mechanisms identified by the AU for unity.

Truth be told, if there is anything we can say about 9 September, it is that it is the veritable “African union” day. That the unfortunate events of  9/11 took place two days after one of the most important and significant events of African integration is perhaps a harbinger/metaphor of how African integration was doomed to run on the back of the so-called War on Terror.

Terrorism, 9/11, and 21 September

Not that this does not matter, but in Africa, the almost over-kill of September 11 is only as poignant as African countries choose to make it. Few can forget that East Africa experienced a spate of terrorist attacks during the “War on Terror” decade. It is also regrettable that the decade would “close” with attacks in West Africa with the bombing of the UN building in Abuja allegedly by Boko Haram. But can we honestly say that a 30-member “Global Counterterrorism Forum”—comprising the AU member countries of Nigeria; South Africa; Egypt; Algeria; and Mauritania – would be the solution to countering violent extremism in the problem of the Sahel; Horn of Africa; and South East Asia. To have Algeria in that group is encouraging as that country has given vent to what observers of the AU in some quarters call the “maghrebization of peace and security” of the AU. 

I take issue not so much with the fact that this is an initiative of the Obama administration, but that the UN, regional and sub-regional bodies “would be invited to participate in the appropriate working group and their activities”. As to why they are not a permanent feature remains unclear. In the long run, this forum will be inaugurated on 21 September on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York.

Conclusion

I have no illusions that most of what I write here will be read by a minority of Ghanaians at best, minority of Africans at worst, and inculcated in a way that will help them make viscerally-life-changing decisions about what they can do to help the AU and ECOWAS deliver for citizens. 

What I do know is that someone somewhere will take note and seek to educate themselves about the AU and ECOWAS –despite the absolutely egregious manner in which these two organizations project themselves to African citizens. 

What I also know is that until Ghanaians begin to lose themselves to the rhythm of the African integration march, they will consign their progeny to an inexcusable fate they could have avoided. African integration will not work without a concerted effort by all—citizens and especially media alike—holding the policy-makers of these groupings accountable. 

Much of the time, citizens are keen to work for them because of the good money that is offered, forgetting that the benefits and good salary are the bonus of hard work in helping make a contribution towards the betterment of generations unborn. 

As I write this in the aftermath of another successful GJA Media Awards, I cannot help but also bow my head down in shame on how despite the centrality of Ghana in African integration—thanks to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah—Ghanaian media practitioners seem to be waiting for some external actor to sponsor an AU reporting award before they start writing about the AU or ECOWAS! Where is civil society on this issue? Where, indeed, are the media practitioners who need to be asking why such an award is not part of the categories? 

Ghana is much more than the politicking of the NPP and NDC, and I daresay we do not have to wait for the CPP to emerge as a fully-fledged third force before we start talking, and taking seriously what the AU and ECOWAS do. The triple responsibility that Ghanaians bear of being citizens of Ghana, ECOWAS community citizens and AUfrican citizens ought to awaken them to the imperative and necessity of capitalizing on both the months of May and September to give vent to the AUfrican personality the continent so desperately needs.

 ekbensah AT critiquing-regionalism.org

In 2009, in his capacity as a “Do More Talk Less Ambassador” of the 42^nd Generation—an NGO that promotes and discusses Pan-Africanism--Emmanuel gave a series of lectures on the role of ECOWAS and the AU in facilitating a Pan-African identity. Emmanuel owns "Critiquing Regionalism" (http://www.critiquing-regionalism.org). Established in 2004 as an initiative to respond to the dearth of knowledge on global regional integration initiatives worldwide, this non-profit blog features regional integration initiatives on MERCOSUR/EU/Africa/Asia and many others. You can reach him on ekbensah@ekbensah.net / Mobile: 0268.687.653.

Vacancy Announcement: FES Liaison Officer to the African Union

(thx to AU-Citizens Yahoo list-serv:)

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

Addis Ababa Office

Announcement of Vacancy

FES Liaison Officer to the African Union

Addis Ababa, 25^th September, 2009

Background

Established in 2002, the African Union is becoming an increasingly important actor for African and international politics. Especially security policy has developed into a core area of activity for this continental organization, but other policy areas – such as agricultural or social policy – are gaining influence as they are being discussed on a continental level.

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, committed to the global promotion of social democracy, sees the AU as a potential partner to further its mission. The FES Addis Ababa office, established in 1992, has been cooperating with the AU since 2007, in order to promote the democratic potential of the organization in certain policy areas according to the goals of social democracy. It seeks to support the creation of a peaceful, democratic and socially just Africa that can assume its legitimate global responsibility, but also seeks to critically analyze the development of the organization with the input of important democratic and societal actors, such as Parliamentarians, Trade Unionists, Political Party representatives, Civil Society activists, media practioners, and to feed back its analysis into its political framework in Germany and Europe.

The FES therefore seeks a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the African Union. The FES office Addis Ababa will be upgraded to become an AU-FES Liaison Office. The coordination of its work shall be the task of an AU Liaison Officer. According to the (draft) Africa Strategy of the FES Africa Department, the office should “assume the task of a liaison office and take over a service function for other offices, such as support these offices with information and contacts and by feeding issues into the national and regional work that are easily implementable on the respective levels”.

Profile

The FES-AU Liaison Officer should be an expert in African politics with an ability to sustain high-level contacts and to use the common FES instruments (trainings, workshops, conferences, publications) in order to achieve the defined overall objectives. He/she will report to the FES Resident Representative in Addis Ababa and work in a team with two other project managers.

In detail, he/she should:

· Hold an advanced degree (M.A. or equivalent) in social sciences such as political science, international relations, (African) history, international law or other relevant fields;

· Have significant knowledge of African politics, institutions, the development of the AU and the Regional Economic Communities, especially in, but not limited to, the field of security policy;

· Have at least 3-5 years work experience in continental politics, the AU, or related institutions such as research institutions with a focus on Africa, International Organizations etc.;

· Be fluent in English and French, preferably be proficient in (an)other African language/s;

· Be able and ready to gain knowledge in new policy areas (such as social policy/social security systems) within a short timeframe;

· Be committed to the principles of social democracy and the international labor movement, namely peaceful conflict resolution, international solidarity, social justice, individual and collective freedom and democracy;

· Be ready to undertake extensive travelling, mainly on the African continent;

· Be ready to work in a small team in a participatory manner in the FES Addis Ababa as well as to build up networks with similar institutions as well as FES offices worldwide.

Areas of Work

The AU Liaison Officer will be responsible for

· Implementing the MoU between the FES and the AU: supporting the AU in certain policy areas by engaging it in a political dialogue on issues to be defined in the MoU

· Organizing training and dialogue seminars and conferences in Addis Ababa and other African as well as European capitals

· preparing information material for interested stakeholders, building up a website on continental issues together with other FES offices in Africa

· analyzing the overall development and developments of certain policy areas of the AU and preparing regular publications (policy briefs) on issues of interest

· Sustaining dialogue with AU representatives, maintain a network of contacts with the AU, AU partner organizations and donors, but also with representatives of African labor unions and civil society, media on a continental level

Contract

The contract will be for one year on a renewable basis.

Salary is competitive and negotiable on the basis of qualifications and experience.

Local insurance for health and professional accidents will be concluded by FES Addis Ababa.

Application

If you are interested in this position and fulfill the above criteria, please send a motivation letter and CV in French or English to:

fandrych@fes.org.et and florian.daehne@fes.de

until 30^th October, 2009.

Suitable women candidates are encouraged to apply.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

********************************

Désiré Y. Assogbavi (Mr.)

Tel. + 251 (0) 11 661 16 01 (Desk)

+ 251 (0) 911 20 83 32 (Cell.)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Highlight of last week: "Africa must indeed unite, but does that mean we should disband the regional economic communities?"

African Union (AU) Africa must indeed unite, but does that mean we should disband the regional economic communities? What value do they have?

August 27 at 11:05am · Comment · Like / Unlike · View Feedback (4)Hide Feedback (4)

Aminu Adamu

The Africa should operate with the regions,it wll make it stronger,we will then have a centralAfrica Union.

August 27 at 11:10am · Delete · Report

African Union (AU)

Aminu, why do u think govts are fighting abouta united AFrica. DO you not think sovereignty will be lost by uniting, in the sense that we would have to give off some of national rights in facour of an integrated "African" one. Is that not a problem?

August 27 at 11:33am · Delete

Aminu Adamu

That is not the problem,we can be integrated.The African countries should have the ministry of cooperation and integration.This could be a good machinery to Unite all of us,to have one African state.It is achievable through the political will of our national leaders in Africa.

August 27 at 11:49am · Delete · Report

Firouzeh Afsharnia

The europeans are already going towards this with the european union, the european parliament and the single currency. It will give Africa the political, and economic clout as well as the synergy of the network.

August 27 at 1:35pm · Delete · Report

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Facebook Friday: What AU Citizens are Saying about their Continent...

"My people perish for lack of knowledge"--The Bible

Welcome to the first ever Friday segment of Facebook Friday, where I outline to you the latest discussions coming from AU citizens--either in their countries, or from the diaspora. African--like every one else--have a lot to say.

Sometimes, it can be a tad negative to stomach, but I believe that the change won't come overnight. I sincerely believe this will go a long way to creating concentric circles that will trigger major change in our outlook in the conception of any kind of AU government.

I understand fully the apathy out there, but I'm ready to counter it, with YOU! Enjoy!

"It is time that African youth woke up from their slumber and start a strong grass-root movement empowered by internet technology to remove current dinosaurs from power and shake up the status quo in favor of progress towards the establishment of a United States of Africa!" hear, hear!!!!

I do not know which of the African youth you are referring to. I guess you do not mean the lazy, uncreative, malleable, greedy and downright selfish ones around!

Sadly, they abound on our campuses, in our churches and offices.

I used to have so much faith and hope in Africa's youth, but my experience in dealing with a number of young people in the last couple of years, some holding Masters degrees, has made me change my mind.

And please, be mindful of the fact that today's myopic African leaders, were once the youth of the continent!

This would be ideal,however there are so many things to consider. We'd need a constitution that all agreed on &to develop an electoral system that was viable. Who would lead? What political parties would there be? All currently in Africa or two like in the states? How would we ensure that when borders opened that ppl wouldn't flood into more economically viable countries. The admin nightmare of creating govt institutions would take years. What currency would we use? I don't mean to be pessimistic but in reality,we'd need buy in from everyone to pull this off,and as it was pted out both our youth ¤t leaders are not up to this monumentus challenge...

but before African youth will wake up from the slumber you are talking about i think we still have to be reeducate ourself or even the youth because we have be educated wrongly with the western education, its high time we start to educate ourself that being African means having ability to do all things. I strongly believe that that human being who has the tendency to do everything right or wrong that why if you take a look at environmetal and genetic which has more influence of course the environmental which mean we have to cleanse our system our education and the demonic attitude that has been embedded towards money making over the years. I believe we can do it if they come with a good motive.

BTW, guys, kindly spread the word on joining the AU page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Addis-Ababa-Ethiopia/African-Union-AU/54117436963. Cheers!

I read what X said in reaction to your piece. I work with the youth. I know what it means to look in the face of a person who has succumbed to a system that constantly says you are not smart enough to understand this! I know how hard one has to work to get the dialogue going. I also know that the awakening is not impossible. Do you really think the youth have non dreams and no aspirations. They just need to be challenged to believe in their potential. These things take time. It's agonizing and downright boring at times but when the light shines through thats where it is. That's the hope for the youth who have been neglected and beaten down in a society that places excessive emphasis on hierarchy. I know there is hope. It's slow but musicians can speed it up. Movie makers can act as catalysts in this movement.

...well said. I work with the youth too. And I can tell you that I have seen some very bright young people who take no initiative, cannot identify an opportunity even if you thrust it into their hands and simply want things already made.

I have had a young university graduate working under me resign because as he put it "you set high standards and work to achieve it, but I am not like that."

I have given most of these young people tasks in areas they have trained and supposedly have skills in, but they failed to deliver. This has happened so many times.

By the way, do you know the creator of Facebook is only 24 years old? If facebook is five years old, then he started when he was 19 years old.

We have so many IT graduates in town, some are certainly doing great, but where are they?

The others have the skills, but are not creative, just mechanic! And doing routine things does not take people anywhere. That's the problem.

Let's just say that I agree that the African youth--and look, we might be generalising here--is lazy and apathetic. Examples of those with Masters and degrees who cannot think for themselves, or who chase only money can be inimical to the facilitation of a united African government, because the bottom line will be only about,well, the bottom line!

The solution to moving forward is unlearning all the bad things that the youth have learnt--starting with appreciating and understanding their history, and those who sacrificed for us. The story of Kwame Nkrumah and his multi-pronged agenda could be a good start?

When he talked about "the independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa", he was not on a flight of fantasy: I believe he was talking about using Ghana as a springboard--what with it being the Black Star and all--to liberate the minds of Africans, and remember the African personality.

Most of us who patronize Facebook and use the 'Net are mostly middle class Ghanaians who have been the beneficiaries--directly and indirectly--of Western education. I believe it is possible to embrace these benefits alongside the appreciation of the knowledge of Africa.

In so doing, we become once again inspired to feel part of the Pan-African project. Whether that is expressed in a belief that there can be a United Africa or not is moot. What is most important is the belief within that we Africans are the agents of change to make the continent a better place.

Let's face it: we're 53 States; multi-cultured; 900 million people. We are perhaps the only regional organisation that embraces all the member states--good and bad. Latin America. The EU. Asia. How many have so many regional economic communities to grapple with, what with all the imperatives associated with them?

Think of ECOWAS, SADC, COMESA, Arab Maghreb Union; ECCAS; East African Community; IGAD; CEN-SAD; CEMAC. Only some of the regional economic communities (RECs) that offer possible salvation to the sub-regions on the continent. Then we have the AU that is seeking to coordinate these RECs.

This is a unique continent that we must not take for granted and help to build. The conception of a union government does not have to be dissimilar to strengthening the RECs. It can be a twin-track process that sees the sub-regional organisations strengthened and the AU oversight over them.

The person who talked about the constitution was right: the AU has a Constitutive Act that would need amendment to make the AU govt/Authority a reality. Then there is the idea of borders.

Yesterday, I looked briefly at crime prevention. I do not think we can think about loose borders without strengthening our borders with effective monitoring mechanisms like the police.

I would call for a regional FBI in every regional organisation to monitor and coordinate intelligence. If we can do it with Standby forces, surely we can do it with crime prevention? I am encouraged that the AU has an AU COnference on Drug Control & Crime Prevention, but can we not do more?

On films, I agree that the arts can work well. Films like Blood Diamond helped me obtain a profound insight into West Africa--though I must say I am a proud ECOWASian (West African). It is true that the arts (music and film, and drama) can do more to inspire Africans in their citizenship.

To that end, I fully support those ideas--plus the role of technology--!!!--in the development of a citizenship that is quintessentially AU-frican!