![]() ![]() ![]() PAV: Looking at the global context, can you situate the importance of the African Union, and looking at its membership, can you say the body represents the hopes and aspirations of ordinary Africans? Lastly, we wanted to find out why the AU, despite having many advantages, has underperformed in implementing its decisions and key instruments by analyzing the importance of institutions and leadership in implementing the ambitious agenda adopted in 2002. We noted there are big voids in African-generated knowledge and hope such a book will fill some of them. Contributors to the book are former AU employees and Africans who have worked with the AU or studied the organization over the past two decades. The fifth motivation was our willingness to share the richness of ideas about the AU. If not, a damning story will be written when the AU is assessed in 2063. It would guarantee Africa’s path towards the fulfillment of Agenda 2063. Learning lessons from its experiences should be part of the agenda for the next decade. The book points out that the organization has generated many valuable lessons that should be reference points instead of reinventing the wheel whenever it is confronted by new challenges. We note that the past 20 years have generated enough lessons that the AU can learn from to achieve its goals in the next 30 years. The fourth motivation was our passion to see the AU succeed by pointing out its strengths, weaknesses that need to be addressed, and opportunities that will contribute to the achievement of Agenda 2063, i.e., the 50-year strategic framework for Africa’s development. Our third motivation is revealed on the cover of the book: to tell an African story of the AU-Africa of hopeful, confident, and placid people to depict the AU as a “people’s organization” rather than that of leaders and the glittering Chinese-built structure. We critically review its performance over the past two decades, point out its achievements, challenges, and offer ideas on how the AU can perform better and serve the African people in the next 30 years. It is an open conversation between Africans and the AU. Second, the book is a conversation between us (Africans) and the AU in which the authors candidly reflect on the noble idea of transforming the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) into a vibrant, pro-active, self-reliant, African-oriented organization. Hence, we had the urge to tell the story of the African Union over the past two decades-what happened to the agenda encapsulated in its Constitutive Act? What happened to radical norms such as the right to intervene in failing states, etc.? It is in one’s 20s when major decisions that will affect the rest of one’s life are made. As you know, your 20th birthday is a gigantic leap into adulthood-it marks the time of coming of age, a point at which you begin to live on your own. Prof Okumu: There are several motivations for producing this book at this point. PAV: You are out with a new book titled African Union at 20: African Perspectives on Progress, Challenges and Prospects, may we know the motivation for and relevance of this publication at this point?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |