Abuja, May 22, 2024 – President Bola Tinubu has called for stronger regional bodies to drive integration and trade ties among African nations.
Tinubu made the call in Abuja on Wednesday at the Summit on the State of Democracy in Africa.
He also called for the revitalisation of sub-regional blocs like ECOWAS, EAC, and SADC to usher in an era of robust intra-African commerce, economic growth, and job creation.
The President, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said the immense potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could only be maximally realized when there is concrete economic integration and collaboration at the different sub-regional levels.
“The immense potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can only be maximally realized when there is concrete economic integration and collaboration at the different sub-regional levels.”
“We must deliberate on ways through which African sub-regional organizations can help foster better intra-African trade, achieve better food and energy security, promote higher rates of youth employment, alleviate poverty, and realize greater prosperity for our people,” he said.
Tinubu said reinvigorated sub-regional cooperation was critical for the successful implementation of the path-breaking AfCFTA by harmonizing rules and regulations to facilitate the free movement of goods, services, and people.
He called for discussions on empowering regional blocs to establish well-funded standby military forces “to help contain military adventurers and the rampaging waves of terrorism and religious extremism.”
President Tinubu urged African leaders to respect constitutional tenets like term limits and ensure credible elections and autonomous institutions through the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) to achieve democratic consolidation.
“This Summit must discuss ways of making the APRM contribute to achieving good governance and democratic consolidation on the continent,” Tinubu said.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said the answer to the myriad of challenges confronting democracy in Africa was to re-examining the model of democracy passed on to countries in the continent by their colonial masters.
He said leaders across the continent must come together to devise a form of contextual democracy that takes into account past experiences, addresses contemporary challenges and emphasises good leadership, strong institutions, and a stable middle class, all reflecting Africa’s rich cultural heritage.
The former President expressed concern about the growing discontent with the democracy in the continent.
He said that the model of democracy that would work for Africa is one that takes into account the typical and predominant political system, and is “suitably and appropriately placed to serve the objectives of the African people”. (GBN)
