Every year the African Union (AU) adopts a theme to guide it in the realisation of its objectives. Last year the theme was “Peace and Security”, this year it is “Shared Values”.
This is an ambitious and laudable step, and provides the continent with the opportunity to review some of the core issues that underlie democracy and good governance.
The list of “Shared Values”, as outlined in the discussion paper circulated at the AU summit earlier this year, is drawn from an array of treaties, charters and decisions promulgated by the AU. The list is an amalgamation of what for the most part are universal values, but some, such as solidarity, consensus and “communalism”, are seen as deeply rooted in African culture.
Ownership of this process and the values espoused by the AU is critical for the success of this exercise. One of the documents that to a large extent captures all the listed values is the “African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance”. It is, without question, a milestone in the development and work of the AU, providing a normative framework for member states.
Yet, despite its adoption at the 2007 summit, only nine countries have completed the ratification process (most in the last year). One can only speculate why, but one possibility is that the charter sets standards many member states are far from realising.
Indeed, if AU membership depended on meeting the charter’s standards, or even the AU’s Constitutive Act, member numbers would be drastically reduced. Of course, the same argument could be applied to the UN.
‘Shared Values’
These and other factors make the need to engage with “Shared Values” even more important. This discussion is long overdue. A look at the relationship between governments and governed is required. Democracy, as much research has demonstrated, is viewed by Africans as the most desirable form of government. But it is also argued that there is a large gap between supply and demand. In other words, what the people want in how government is run is not supplied by their leaders.
The AU’s lead here is commendable. One hopes that the call to use “Shared Values” as a guideline for discussion will filter down to member states. It will in fact be a measure of how seriously this topic is taken and how willing African leaders are to engage on fundamental aspects of their governance styles. As demonstrated recently in northern Africa, the time to recognise the interests of the people is long overdue. The historic tide of popular expression in the north has unsettled many African leaders.
Despite acknowledged progress by the AU and some member states, governance and development indicators still point to a rather desperate situation in Africa. The majority of African states remain among the worst in the world.
Economists are quick to claim that economic growth has been consistent in many countries, but there is little evidence that this is having a generally positive impact on the lives of ordinary people. As in the rest of the world, income gaps remain unacceptably high, with the poor left without any tangible hope of bettering their situation.
The 1990s saw remarkable progress in terms of democratic development, with many countries adopting multiparty political systems. Similarly, although this continues to plague the continent and is specifically addressed in the Charter on Democracy, the frequency of unconstitutional changes of power has diminished.
Over the past decade, however, there has been little progress towards realising stable democratic systems that address African development needs. The self-congratulatory language of politicians at conferences and workshops across the continent is premature.
Yet if it is action not intention that matters, the AU is not off to a good start. For one, it has been largely silent on the events in North Africa, only very recently coming out in support of sanctions against the Libyan leadership.
In Côte d’Ivoire, a commendably firm stance was taken, but the appointment of the president of Mauritania to head the high-level delegation trying to resolve the situation is problematic: President Abdel Aziz himself rose to power through a coup. Perhaps more troublesome, the new AU chair is President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, indisputably one of the most corrupt and undemocratic countries on the continent.
Time will tell. We have an important opportunity here. If more countries ratify the charter, it will provide an excellent standard by which to measure progress. Perhaps the lessons from North Africa will be taken to heart, and we will be able to tell our grandchildren that we lived in the era when the interests of the people were placed before the interest of their leaders, where they have always belonged.
Stefan Gilbert is a governance specialist in the Political Governance Programme of Idasa