In
May 2013, I was among the privileged few who witnessed the Africa @ 50
celebrations in Addis Ababa. I am forever grateful to being given this
opportunity to be physically part of this historic occasion and most lucky to
have done that as technical assistant to Dr. Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary
of UNECA.
One
of the key deliverables that came out of the AU Summit that year was support
for Agenda 2063, a forward looking
strategy document aimed at transforming Africa into ‘an integrated, prosperous
and peaceful Africa driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force
in international arena’. Agenda 2063 brings together all the many documents that
the African Union has subscribed to but most importantly, Agenda 2063 comes with
seven key aspirations that seek to capture the Africa we want in the
next 50 years.
In
between the whirlwind of organising events, meeting Heads of States, finalising speeches,
attending conferences, writing press statements and the many other last minute
issues that come up on such a high level event, I never forgot the significance of the
occasion. I never, not for a moment, forgot that it was the sweat, blood and
tears of my recent ancestors that made it possible for me to walk through the
majestic halls of the African Union building. I never, for a minute forgot the
blood, dignity and identity that my forefathers and foremothers sacrificed to
ensure that their dream for ‘the total liberation of Africa’ was achieved. I
felt the weight of history lying heavily on my shoulders. If our past leaders
were been able to achieve so much in an era of typewriters and fax
machines, then we have no excuse not to
do much much more for generations yet unborn.
As
we celebrate another African Union day this year, permit me to share with you
the significance of the AU day to me in my multiple realities. In the same format
as the response of an African President was when he was asked whether he had
ever taken a bribe.
As a human being:
As
a human being living in Africa, I am more prone to die through preventable
diseases such as cholera and malaria; it is more probable that I will
experience wars and conflicts; I am more likely to live under one dollar a day
and for either myself or my children to suffer from malnutrition. I have less
access to education, healthcare facilities are far from me or are inadequate
and I have a high likelihood of being employed in the informal sector or not
employed at all. I will die earlier than my European and American friends and my
cause of death is 33per cent more likely to be maternally related.
Quite
a sad picture, isn’t it? And I could go on and on. But there is hope. On a
positive side, the UNDP’s annual Human Development Report (HDR 2013) shows that
all African countries have positively improved in all the categories since 2000
with the largest improvement recorded in health. Africa is doing something to
improve my quality of life.
Aspiration 1 of Agenda
2063 states that ‘We
are determined to eradicate poverty in one generation and build shared
prosperity through social and economic transformation of the continent’.
In this regard therefore, I have hope
that as a human being living in Africa, poverty will be over in my generation.
As a woman: it is an undisputed fact that women are a
critical cornerstone of Africa’s economic development. Statistics show that
women provide about 70 per cent of agricultural labour and produce about 90 per
cent of all of Africa’s food. Investing in women
can yield a significant boost in economic growth, otherwise known as “the
gender dividend.”
Despite these positive statistics, a
woman in Africa is more likely to be illiterate or less educated than her
brothers, most likely to be married off at an early age, have less access to
agricultural extension support and does not own the land she cultivates. Unless
this vicious cycle of the underlying causes of poverty is broken with education
as an enabler, African women will continue to be relegated to the dark
prehistoric ages of witchcraft and sorcery.
Several of the Agenda 2063
aspirations speak to the role of women in achieving the objectives of the
agenda. For example, aspiration 6 of Agenda 2063 speaks to ‘An Africa whose development is
people-driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women
and youth, and caring for children’. Also, Aspiration 3 states it in a
different way, ‘Africa shall have a universal culture of good governance,
democratic values, gender equality, respect for human rights, justice and the
rule of law’.
In a previous blog post,
I classified three E’s needed for women’s growth and development as Education, Economic
stability and Empowerment. These are
still relevant today.
As a mother: the numbers of women who still die from
preventable pregnancy related causes in Africa are staggering. Whilst in
developing countries, it is rare to know of women who have died as a result
pregnancy, in Africa this is the norm.
Do
you know that every
day in 2015, about
830 women died due to complications of pregnancy and child birth? And that of the 830 daily maternal deaths,
550 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and 180 in Southern Asia, compared to 5 in
developed countries. The risk of a woman in a developing country dying from a
maternal-related cause during her lifetime is about 33 times higher compared to
a woman living in a developed country.
As
a mother, the AU day is significant not only to push forward a focus on tackling
maternal mortality but on the future of my children, my nieces and nephews.
Did you know that Africa is the only
continent where the youth population will significantly expand and that between
2010 & 2100 the African youth population will almost triple. This means
that by 2100 almost half of all the world’s youth, including my children, will
be African.
Did you also know that almost one
third of sub-Saharan African youth lack basic skills and that Sub-Saharan
Africa has the lowest secondary & tertiary school enrolment and whatever skill set that they have do not meet the needs of the 21st century
labour market ‘Jobless’ growth.
What does this foretell for the
future of Africa’s children (including my children) and the educational systems
they are being trained in?
Aspiration 6 focuses on ‘all citizens
of Africa will be actively involved in decision making in all aspects. Africa
shall be an inclusive continent where no child, woman or man is left behind or
excluded, on the basis of gender, political affiliation, religion, ethnic
affiliation, locality, age or other factors.
As an African: The
rhetoric of a ‘rising Africa’ is all around us. The statistics show that Africa
is indeed on the path to economic prosperity. This is great news. Overall, Africa’s
economic performance is strong, we are more resilient to shocks and there are
key ongoing economic policy changes. In addition to this, we can also applaud
the handling of the Ebola virus crisis.
However
the threat of terrorism and religious extremism continue to plague the
continent. One case is point is the Chibok girls. I am saddened whenever the
plight of those young women come to mind. My prayers continue to be with them
wherever they are and with their families. Boko Haram, ISIS, Al Qaeda continue
to brainwash our youth into committing atrocious acts of terrorism.
Yes,
democracy is the norm in many African countries but it seems as if our
definition of democracy is skewed in favour of life presidents and oppressive
regimes.
Aspiration
4 which focuses on peace and security states that ‘Mechanisms for peaceful prevention and
resolution of conflicts will be functional at all levels. As a first step,
dialogue-centred conflict prevention and resolution will be actively promoted
in such a way that by 2020 all guns will be silent. A culture of peace and
tolerance shall be nurtured in Africa’s children and youth through peace
education’.
There certainly is progress but sometimes,
the challenges outweigh the progress. But we must press on, nevertheless. No one
will develop our continent for us but ourselves. The reverse is not the case,
sadly.
In conclusion
In
effect, the celebration of the African union day should not be a mere rhetoric
or an excuse for Africans to have a good time. It is to remind us that there is
work to be done. It is to spur us to work harder, shout louder, think further
and make change happen. If not for us, for our children. I want to make change
happen, so that in the year 2063, when my granddaughter is walking through the
halls of the African Union Building, she will be proud of not only her
grandmother, but all the Africans in this generation who consciously worked for
the greater good of all.
The
target is clear, the milestones defined, the signs cannot be missed. Agenda 2063 sets the strategic and
unifying framework for a socio economic revolution within our generation. This is
not just a dream. It is our reality and that reality must change for the (much)
better.
I am
Teiko Sabah and I am African. I am the African Union.
Happy
African Union Day!!!
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About
the author:
Teiko
Sabah is the 2013 Mo Ibrahim African Leaders Fellow with the UNECA. She is
interested in Africa and pan Africanism. She writes a monthly blog on pan Africanism
on https://teikosabah.blogspot.com
NOTE: African Union Day is celebrated annually on 24th May to commemorate the establishment of the OAU.
