Being the first African nation – south of the Sahara – to gain independence, Ghana had, and has been playing very prominent roles in issues and programmes bordering on regional integration.
The first President, Kwame Nkrumah, together with other dynamic African leaders, formed the Organisation of African Unity in 1963. It has been argued however, that the OAU became a lame duck since it was only used as a platform for the then African Heads of State to see one another, wine and dine while the problems of their various countries still remained unsolved.
The OAU has now metamorphosed into the African Union, with some degree of hope that it will do better than its predecessor – given the kind of support it has been receiving from the European Union.
Again, Kwame Nkrumah proposed the formation of an African Youth Command to serve as the military wing of the OAU. That could not materialise anyway.
It gladdens our hearts to note that there are some sub-regional blocs that are functioning; notably the Economic Community of West African States and the Southern African Development Community. Such sub-regional coalitions, when strengthened, will definitely be the unbreakable pillars of a wider African Union.
Indeed, from all indications, contemporary African leaders are really bent on putting in place a regional union that will be functional. And many statesmen and women, top politicians, among others, have suggested ways by which a regional integration can firmly stand on its feet. The latest was a call by Professor Mike Oquaye, former Minister and Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya.
In an interview with The Statesman, Mike Oquaye recommended that "sub-regional Electoral Commissions, representing West, East, North and South Africa, should be set up to work with an African Union Electoral Commission he had proposed, with full control over all elections in Africa". (Monday, June 30, 2008 edition). Already there is an ECOWAS Parliament that has been working creditably in the West African sub-region.
African nations stand to benefit from unions that do not exist only in name. Intra-regional trade can increase to strengthen the economies of member states. Political issues can be tackled with a lot of clout – whereby human rights violations by a particular leader can be vehemently opposed and that leader sanctioned by a mother union. Cultural diversity will also add to the dignity of Africans as a people.
The Statesman is hereby appealing to all authorities concerned to ensure that the unquantifiable barriers and checkpoints that are mounted along the major international routes are reduced so as to foster free movement of people and enhance economic activities.
Apart from all these and other benefits, a regional integration will provide a formidable front for the war against drug peddling on the continent.
It is becoming increasingly clear that some drug barons have chosen some African countries as transit points for their illicit trade – a phenomenon which needs concerted efforts to nip in the bud.
In recent times, Ghana has been doing well in her resolve to fight this canker. There are reports of arrests of drug peddlers and the drugs often seized by the security agencies.
We therefore, vehemently counter the claim by some people, including members of the largest opposition party in the country, the National Democratic Congress, that the illicit drug trade has been on the ascendancy under the New Patriotic Party regime.
The fact is that although this trade has been an age-long one, it is the sustained battle the current administration has been waging against it that has created the awareness in people that some nation wreckers are engaged in this business. Additionally, the police are now better equipped and trained to professionally handle the problem.
And to ensure that the battle is sustained and the canker uprooted, the Ghana Government, in collaboration with the United States of America and the Britain, has mapped out a number of strategies, some of which are already in motion.
Readers will recall that a couple of years ago the Government invited the FBI to come and assist in unraveling the mystery behind the missing 77 parcels of cocaine on the high seas – although the missing parcels have not yet been retrieved.
Operation Westbridge is still underway at the Kotoka International Airport and other entry points in the country. These are all evidence that the Government is aggressively trying to combat the illegal trade.
We congratulate the current regime on the efforts so far made. We think that tackling the problem on regional basis will be more effective. It is against this backdrop that The Statesman endorses any efforts aimed at regional integration.
The drug barons are cunning and use sophisticated methods in their operations. A wider network is therefore, imperative thus, the need for a regional grouping.
From thestatesmanonline.com
