Tinubu promises to bolster ECOWAS and rejects a new race for Africa

As several nations, including China, the United States, Russia, France, and Iran, are forming new blocs between them and the continent, President Bola Tinubu vehemently denounced the idea of a new race for Africa on Sunday in Nairobi, Kenya.

Speaking at the Fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting (5thMYCM) of the African Union (AU), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Regional Mechanisms (RMs), and the African Union Member-States, he emphasised the importance of good governance in ensuring that Africa has a prosperous future free from historical exploitation.

“As Africans, we forge ahead regardless of the obstacles put in our path,” remarked President Tinubu. Our current reality is frequently cruel and unreliable. Our future success is disputed by recent history and contemporary global challenges.

The previous several years have taught us that the global economy is susceptible to disruptions that might halt growth and lead to a downturn. If we choose to remain passive viewers of our fate, our nations may find themselves in unexpectedly catastrophic circumstances.

Such passivity doesn’t seem commendable to me. I won’t give it my attention. Africans shouldn’t either. Because of the difficulties we face, governance will be challenging.

They also imply the requirement for imaginative good governance. According to some observers, there is currently a new scramble for Africa that is quite similar to the previous scramble. “But, here and now, let it be said to whomever the new scramblers may be that our continent may be old but our spirit is new,” they claim. It is also powerful. The horrible things that happened in the past must remain there. Never again shall it occur.

While reiterating Africa’s unity and might, the President issued a warning that previous acts of exploitation and robbery should be left in the past and never be repeated.

Dele Alake, Special Adviser to the President (Special Duties, Communications and Strategy), said that in his speech titled “Address on Status of Regional Integration in ECOWAS,” Tinubu announced plans to strengthen the ECOWAS Standby Force to thwart coup attempts and fight terrorism in the subregion.

As chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, the president emphasised the advancements made by ECOWAS in a number of areas of its integration process, including trade, free movement of people, investment promotion, infrastructure development, and security.

He stressed the necessity for Africa to overcome its problems and strive for a successful future, putting a special emphasis on inclusive growth, responsible government, and making the most of the potential offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

In terms of peace, security, and stability, President Tinubu recognised the difficulties the sub-region faced, including as terrorism and anti-constitutional political developments.

“We sit here in meaningful discussion of crucial economic issues,” he said. But if we don’t take into account the instability and war that currently plague many of our nations, it will be impossible to give our efforts their full significance.

“As long as some of our nations are embroiled in conflict and violence, the fullness of the integration we desire will elude us.

“The trade and commerce that we discuss today pertain to high-quality products and services that enhance life. These nations’ trade and commerce is characterised by death and mayhem that snatches opportunities and causes destruction.

“We cannot integrate Africa and achieve the prosperity we desire while our close relatives suffer in agony and pain; they should not suffer,” the statement reads. As a continent, we must make progress towards peace and prosperity.

“If we don’t act now, we run the risk of splitting Africa into two or more, with one consisting of a small number of countries that are steadily progressing and the rest stuck in the same old cycle of poverty, conflict, and hopelessness.

“It is obvious that in terms of peace, security, and stability, our region faces the converging threats of terrorism and the undemocratic rollback of democratic accomplishments in government.

“The ECOWAS Authority, which I have the honour to chair, has issued instructions for the enhancement of the role of the ECOWAS Standby Force for deployment to combat terrorism and undemocratic changes in government in order to address these challenges.

In order to finance the peace support operations in our community, The Authority has also decided to raise its own money domestically. In the interim, we have kept an eye on the transition plans in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea,” he stated.

President Tinubu recalled how, at the just-concluded ECOWAS Summit in Bissau, West African leaders made a commitment to continue working with Mali and Burkina Faso to rigorously push for the execution of the 24-month transition timelines reached with ECOWAS.

But he added that ECOWAS had chosen to support the security forces of Burkina Faso and Mali to help them defend their nations against terrorist occupation.

The restoration of democratic order in these Member States would be ensured by the assistance of foreign partners, he said.

In regards to trade, President Tinubu claimed that ECOWAS had established a free trade zone and was trying to create a customs union and a common market.

However, he voiced concern about the low amount of intra-community trade among member nations, adding that the European Union continues to be the region’s top economic partner, followed by Asia, North America, and the rest of Africa.

The Nigerian leader emphasised the efforts made by ECOWAS to consolidate the benefits of its trade liberalisation programme and promote the AfCFTA’s implementation, saying the ECOWAS Commission had been aiding member-states in the negotiations, ratification, and AfCFTA’s implementation.

13 of the 15 ECOWAS member states, he said, have ratified the pact.

Regarding people’s freedom of movement, President Tinubu informed the gathering that ECOWAS had started working to adopt the Harmonised Visa-Regime (ECOVISA) to let those who aren’t ECOWAS citizens move around freely.

Regarding the construction of regional infrastructure, President Tinubu underlined ECOWAS’ priority on doing so, namely the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway, to support economic activity and integration.

“The preliminary design and feasibility studies indicate a major investment cost of almost $15 billion USD for the entire highway with an average economic rate of return of 15% per annum. The development of the other corridors, including the Abidjan-Praia-Dakar, is also being prepared, he continued.

The President briefed the group on intra-regional cooperation and said that a joint border post between Nigeria and Cameroon had just been commissioned and will be turned over to the two nations’ authorities in November 2022.

The project, according to him, serves as a link between ECOWAS and ECCAS and provides a strong platform for future collaboration and integration between the two areas, and ultimately, the entire African continent.

President Tinubu also gave an update on the energy market, expressing his happiness that a number of generation and interconnection projects had been put into action in the area.

He asserts that all 15 of the West African nations are now connected thanks to the completion of the 1,300 kilometre and 1,700 km electric interconnections between Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.

“The completion of the Information and Coordination Centre of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) will enable member-states to buy and sell electricity in the region as this centre will act as a regional system operator within the framework of the regional electricity market,” he stated.

The ECOWAS chairwoman also gave updates on the organization’s initiatives to promote investment and to fight cybercrime and strengthen member states’ cybersecurity.

President Tinubu acknowledged his honour at being invited to attend the AU Mid-Year Meeting for the first time in his capacity as Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

President Tinubu praised the government and people of the Republic of Kenya for hosting the meeting and providing the attendees with top-notch facilities, while applauding the AU for its efforts to improve collaboration and coordination between the continental and regional organisations.