African Editors to engage AU Presidents

The 2007 AU Presidential and Editors Debate is to take place in the Ghanaian capital Accra on Sunday, 1 July.

The event is being organised by the Africa Editors Forum, Global Media Alliance, AU Commission and the Secretariat of the New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

The AU leaders and editors will discuss issues around the theme of the summit, namely the Grand Debate.

This is an exploration into which of three possible options for a unified, integrated continent could be adopted.

This could either be a "Union of African States" a view led by South African President Thabo Mbeki; an "African Union Government" a suggestion put forward by former Nigerian President Olesegun Obasanjo or the "United States of Africa" model led by the Libyan President Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who has been canvassing this view ahead of his arrival in Accra for the summit.

The Heads of State summit will also consider the report of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee on the Integration of NEPAD into the Headquarters and Procedures of the AU.

Editors expected at the meeting are Mathatha Tsedu of the African Editors Forum and Edward Boateng of the Global Media Alliance, amongst others.

The 11th session of the AU Executive Council opened Thursday, 28 June, and is to conclude on Friday with recommendations adopted on the Grand Debate at the Durban brainstorming session in May.

These will be forwarded to the Heads of State for their meeting between Sunday and Tuesday.

Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who was present with her delegation at Thursday's opening, will remain in Accra to support President Thabo Mbeki at the Heads of State and Government Summit.

Ghanaians have been actively involved in drumming up interest and dialogue on this issue by hosting civil society conferences, conducting polls in newspapers, television shows and even via sms and internet polls.

The capital city's radio stations are abuzz with talk from both experts and ordinary Ghanaians on this topic, which has been years in the making, since leaders identified a need to consolidate the African continent, once divided by colonial rule.

As the presidents will themselves be considering, Ghanaians here are of the opinion that a unified Africa is needed, but opinions differ on how and when this unification can take shape.

The need for the move towards integration arose from a proposal considered by the Assembly at its 4th ordinary session in Abuja in January, 2005, on the creation of certain ministerial portfolios for the AU.

The AU Assembly accepted that the proposal was pertinent and in line with the AU's vision.

It was therefore decided to set up a Committee of seven Heads of State under President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda to examine the proposal in all its ramifications.

The Committee, in its report, submitted to the Assembly at the 5th ordinary session held in Sirte, Libya in July 2005, expressed the view that the spirit of the proposal went far beyond mere creation of ministerial portfolios in certain areas of activities of the Union.

From this arose the recommendation to begin work towards the formation of a 'union government' for the continent.

After reviewing the report, the Assembly reaffirmed that the ultimate goal of the AU is full political and economic integration.

Following this, another Committee of Heads of State was set up, under the then Chairman of the Assembly of the Union, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria.

The Committee was mandated to consider all the ideas expressed on the subject at the summit as well as others that may arise through consultations including steps to be taken for the realisation of the objective.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews