Kenya’s candidate for the Africa Union Commission’s chairmanship Raila Odinga yesterday vowed to push for two permanent seats for Africa at the United Nations Security Council.
He also pledged to transform the continent’s wealth into tangible benefits should he be elected as the chair to the continental body.
Speaking during the Mjadala Afrika debate in Ethiopia last evening, Raila, who went toe-to-toe with Djibouti’s Mahamoud Ali Youssouf and Madagascar’s Richard Randriamamandrato who are also gunning for AUC’s chairmanship, highlighted the need to silence the guns across Africa by ending the escalating regional conflicts by the year 2035.
Expressing his dismay at the lack of Africa’s permanent representation at the UN Security Council, Raila pledged to work together with all the heads of Africa to see that continent not only gets two seats at the Council but also ensure Africa gets a fair treatment on the international scene - should he clinch the chairmanship.
“The UN was formed when most parts of Africa were colonies and that's why the UN structure does not deal with realities of the world today. A situation where you have five countries sitting at the council with veto powers and Africa is not represented - a continent with 1.4 billion people - is not tenable and that is why we are going to insist that Africa must get two permanent seats in the security council,” said Raila.
He added: “It is only fair because we are a continent of 55 sovereign nations and we cannot be excluded when Europe has got three set as of permanent representation on the council. Permanent representation with veto powers is a must for Africa and this I am going to insist upon when I am elected.”
The UN Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly and approving any changes to the UN Charter.
Its powers include establishing peacekeeping operations, enacting international sanctions and authorising military action.
It has 15 members, and each member has one vote. The five permanent members include China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States while the ten non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.
To ensure conflict prevention, management and resolution in the continent, Raila said he would embark on a multi-pronged approach that includes the creation of a conducive environment for dialogue and addressing the causative factors of conflict.
“In 2013, the African Union made a resolution to silence the guns by 2020. We are now in 2024 and the guns are not silent. We need to address the causative factors of these conflicts. Some are caused by poverty, some by conflict within society such as society, some are externally influenced while some are religious. To address this, we need to find a way of creating a way for dialogue in our countries so we can be able to prevent these differences ending up in violent confrontations between different groups,” said Raila.
He added: “We don't need to put a time span but I am sure it is possible to end these conflicts and stop the guns by 2035.”
And to improve the continent's economic fortunes and ensure robust health and education structures, the former Prime Minister is banking on a review of the international financial structure, increase in intra-African trade, completion of mega projects and value addition of goods for export which he argued would propel Africa to prosperity.
“There are several factors which work against Africa, for example, the international financial structure, this is very much against us. African countries have been made to borrow money at very interest rates compared to other countries. We need to address this issue as a starting point. We also need not to remain perpetually as the source of raw materials for industrial West or East. We need to do value addition for raw materials coming out of Africa for export,” he submitted.
Observing that intra-African trade currently stands a mere 15 per cent, he insisted that the continent needed to trade more with itself.
“The non- tariff barriers that have been imposed make it difficult for goods to move freely from one country to another and the modalities of payment are now in the issue of financial infrastructure. Goods cannot move freely because of lack of adequate infrastructure within the continent. Kenya for instance exported tea to Ghana but it took three months to arrive. This needs to change,” he said.
Adding, “We have large infrastructure projects such as the high-speed continental railway, the intra- African highways such as Dakar to Djibouti and all these need to be developed. Energy is also another key factor to growth and we can reduce the cost of energy by going green.”
Raila says he intends to ensure economic transformation, enhancing intra-Africa trade, financial independence, gender equity and equality. Agricultural transformation, climate action, integration, peace and security are also part of his eight-point agenda seen by The Standard.
“As a lifelong pan-Africanist, I will offer participatory leadership to ensure infrastructure development and delivery on the priorities of the African peoples as envisioned in the African Union Agenda 2063,” he says in his vision statement.
Raila further states that he envisions a united Africa characterised by peace, prosperity, and progress for all, and calls for Africa to harness its vast human and natural resources, and integrate the energy of the youth with the vision and wisdom of its leaders.
On continental integration, he says strengthening regional integration and cooperation is essential for promoting trade, infrastructure development and economic growth.
“I will support Regional Economic Communities and drive implementation of initiatives to enhance continental unity and prosperity,” he says.
To enhance economic transformation, Raila notes that sustainable and equitable socio-economic growth is foundational to development and underscores the need to implement initiatives that create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, attract investment, and promote innovation and entrepreneurship, which are key to achieving economic transformation.
And to enhance intra-Africa trade, he avers that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a transformative opportunity to establish a common market and boost intra-African trade. Currently, he says, intra-African trade is the lowest among other continents, hindering economic independence and interdependence.
“I will advocate for open skies, visa policy harmonisation, and infrastructure development to facilitate seamless connectivity and movement of goods and peoples across Africa. Overcoming these barriers will spur economic growth and position Africa as a global economic player and leader,” the agenda reads.
The Azimio leader, who has since taken a backseat from active local politics to focus on his continental bid, also emphasises the need for Africa’s financial independence: that Africa must mobilise domestic resources to reduce reliance and over-dependence on external funding.
To achieve this, his plan is to rally member states and engage the private sector to finance AU priorities, ensuring sustainable development and delivery on continental goals. I will also advocate for the reform of global financial architecture to ensure Africa’s equitable participation in global economic decisions.
On Agricultural transformation, he challenges Africa to catalyse a transformative shift in its agri-food systems to cultivate more efficient, inclusive, and resilient agricultural practices, while ensuring food systems are secure from predatory practices.
“I will promote sustainable food production, agribusiness and modernisation of agriculture to reinforce food security, foster job creation and enhance livelihoods,” he says.
