The Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) meets in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this week under the theme, "Boosting Intra-African Trade". But more on the theme later.
For now, let us focus on why this summit is drawing so much attention: the South African Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has been nominated by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to stand for the position of Chairperson of the AU Commission.
The AU Commission is a vital institution in African political and economic governance and is responsible for administering the day-to-day affairs of the AU as well as implementing the decisions of the AU organs. The current chairperson of the AU Commission is Dr Jean Ping, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the West African country of Gabon.
Commissioners of the AU, together with the chairperson, serve four-year terms after which another election takes place. They may stand for re-election if nominated, as AU rules require so.
When the terms of office of AU commissioners approach an end, the AU invites all regional bodies to nominate suitable candidates. The terms of the current commissioners expired in January 2012. An election at the January 2012 Summit, also held in Addis Ababa, could not produce a winner for the Chairperson position.
The rules require that a candidate should get at least 75% of the votes. None of the two candidates in January could obtain this percentage. Which prompted AU heads of state to postpone the election until this week's summit.
Over and above postponing the election in January, it was also decided that a commitee of eight African leaders be formed to resolve the matter and present a report to this week's summit.
That committee was subsequently formed and is constituted thus: one country per each of Africa's five regions, plus the chairperson of the AU (President Boni Yayi of Benin), and the presidents of the two countries fielding candidates, President Zuma of South Africa and President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon. The SADC region mandated its current chairperson, President Eduardo Dos Santos of Angola, to represent it on the committee of eight.
After the inconclusive vote in January, the SADC ministers of foreign affairs met in Cape Town in the following month and decided, after a critical analysis of the events in Addis, to recommend to their leaders that Minister Dlamini Zuma be fielded again at this week's summit.
The SADC heads of state and government eventually met in Luanda, Angola, in June 2012 and decided to reaffirm the candidature of Minister Dlamini Zuma. This decision was motivated by a number of factors, key amongst which is that:
(i) Since the formation of the OAU (which is now the AU) in 1963, the Southern African region (together with the North African region) have never led the AU Commission. Three previous candidates from Southern Africa all didn't make it. The SADC now argues that it is their turn to lead the AU; and that
(ii) Minister Dlamini Zuma is a strong candidate with the requisite experience and skill to lead the AU Commission. Minister Dlamini Zuma served for 10 years as South Africa's Minister of Foreign Affairs, from 1999 to 2009. She was instrumental in the work of the AU, including its reconfiguration in 2002 from the OAU to the AU. This year, the AU turns 10 years and is ripe for change.
Some have pointed out that big countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya should not stand for top positions at the AU. This argument is discredited by the following reasons:
(i) There is no such agreement at the AU. The business of the AU is regulated by the Constitutive Act of the AU and related laws. Nowhere is provision made for so-called big countries that cannot hold certain positions.
(ii) The argument of "big countries" is not in line with current realities on the African countinent. Certain countries in the North Africa region, whilst still economically more superior than many of their African peers, have been weakened by recent political uprisings. New influential economic and political players are emerging in other regions, notably Eastern and Southern Africa.
Back to the issue of intra-African trade, some statistics are necessary in order to paint the current picture of Africa, a continent which, according to the World Bank, is "on the brink of an economic takeoff". Current trade amongst African countries stands at a paltry 10% excluding trade in crude oil. Simply put, Africa trades with everyone except herself.
The overwhelming majority of African countries are single-commodity economies, exporting raw marterials at a fraction of their value to markets in Asia, North America and Europe, and getting little in return. Only four African countries (South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia) can be said to have diverse economies.
But it is not all doom and gloom. Once a countinent known for coups de'tat, Africa now holds more elections than ever before. In the 1960s and '70, according to a recent study, African countries held a total of 10 elections per decade. That is in a countinent of 50-plus countries. Latest stats indicate that Africa now holds 41 elections every five years. Not perfect yet, but great progress nevertheless.
To maintain this momentum, a united and strong AU is required. But how do you strengthen the AU? You place at the top of its administrative echelon people with proven leadership credentials. But who are those people now? Well, look no further. Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is available and willing to serve.
Nelson Kgwete is Director: Media Liaison, Department of International Relations and Cooperation
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