The case for economic integration in Africa is clear: the 53 economies within the continent simply cannot compete in the global economy if they stand alone.
In ensuring the success and immediacy of our own integration we can learn from the experiences of others. The integration of Europe was driven predominantly by the private sector. We did not see mass public demonstrations for unity and integration in Europe. What we saw was the consolidation of European heavy industry though economic co-operation that eventually led to political integration.
My own experience as a businessman is similarly clear cut. When I began an African telecoms operator, Celtel, we had no desire to build a successful company in one country. We knew that the only way to ensure our success was through procurement power and access to sizeable markets achieved through scale. And our success was unprecedented.
Yet the integration process continues to stall on the continent. On the one hand Mozal, the Mozambiquan and South African aluminium smelter, the North-South corridor and even co-operation over water resources through the Nile River Basin Initiative can be identified as examples of progress. Furthermore, the East African Community is emerging as a good example of how quickly the benefits of greater integration can be reaped - trade has expanded by 118% between Tanzania and Uganda, and 114% between Tanzania and Kenya. However, intra-African trade still stands at only 10% of overall trade. Movement of goods, capital and people between African countries remains challenging and co-operation in the energy sector is almost non-existent.
Regional economic integration
In order to accelerate this process, we need strong political leadership, at all levels; national, regional and continental. Rhetoric must be matched with action. Meanwhile, political leaders need to make the case for integration to their citizens. Fears about immigration must be addressed and the potential benefits articulated in order to create public support for this process. In the absence of a private sector of the scale and influence of Europe's to promote this agenda, the pride of citizens in their continent, their 'African-ness' needs to be translated from an abstract ideal of a 'United States of Africa' to a concrete programme of reforms towards regional economic integration. This combination of public demand and galvanised political will is an essential pre-requisite to furthering this agenda.
Innovative financing and new financial instruments are needed to fund regional infrastructural projects and attract investors. We need to mobilise our domestic resources and institutions such as the African Development Bank, among the largest sources of funds for regional integration projects, but we also need to ensure that investors are enticed to finance regional infrastructure. Some of this will require measures of risk mitigation. Our international partners also have a vital role to play in supporting regional projects and earmarking funding specifically for regional initiatives that promote and support integration.
Beyond development
However, we must also ensure that we look beyond infrastructure and economic development to understand the full significance of this agenda. Although commerce will naturally be the driving force behind greater economic integration, we in Africa must understand the potential and benefits of enhancing common understanding between people as well. Our citizens should be able to travel freely around the continent - this will naturally result in increased economic activity but also reinforce good political relations between states. It is no coincidence that the rise of European integration has coincided with the cessation of violent international conflicts in Europe for the first time in centuries. Furthermore, conflicts are rarely solved in isolation, and instability in one country insinuates itself quickly across an entire region. This trend is exacerbated by the emerging climate dimension of security challenges facing the continent. Water scarcity, for example, will affect river basins with no regard for national borders or sovereignty. This accentuates the value of incorporating a peace and security architecture as a key component of the regional economic integration agenda.
In the end, the challenges of successful implementation of regional economic integration are governance challenges. Political will is often absent because governments are reluctant to cede some elements of their perceived sovereignty. The lack of constructive engagement with the private sector and civil society more broadly is similarly symptomatic of the often unconsultative and unparticipatory nature of many African regimes. Too often, a sense of clinging onto every and any vestige of power remains. And of course financing is a perennial problem in Africa - raising finance but also ensuring funds are transparently spent.
The need for Africa to integrate is clear. The challenges, political and economic, are also clear. But the potential gains are so great that we must all, from the private sector to parliaments, multilateral institutions to advocacy groups and citizens to presidents, align behind this agenda in order to secure a shared, prosperous future.
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim is founder and chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation which promotes debate on good governance across sub-Saharan Africa
