Ruto's push for revival of the pan-African dream welcome development

President William Ruto has come out strongly to advocate for a united Africa in tackling 21st century challenges.

He has advocated for free trade and the opening up of African borders to allow for free movement of goods and people.

While this is indeed commendable, some have criticised the president for focusing on international relations and foreign policy when there are several domestic challenges like unemployment and huge public debt.

Indeed, some, especially the opposition, have projected the president as seemingly escaping the harsh domestic realities by projecting a positive profile abroad amidst turmoil at home.

Regardless of Dr Ruto's implicit and or explicit intentions, a united Africa is long overdue, and perhaps the only option that the continent has in order to effectively engage with other multilateral powers.

While many developed countries mostly in the north had to forge a united front so as to enhance their strategic geopolitical relevance and influence, many African countries continue to hold on to nationalism and its protectionist ideals.

As a Kenyan, this reminds me of the several instances I had to renew my student visa while studying in South Africa a few years ago. Conversely, my student visa to Belgium allowed me to freely visit 27 other countries within the Schengen area! While African countries are obsessively holding on to their colonial borders created after the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, their former colonial masters in Europe are freely trading among themselves and continue to dominate Africa through skewed trade deals coupled with an international financial system that is firmly in their grip.

Climate change

Although calls for a united Africa by former African leaders like Kwame Nkrumah and Muammar Gaddafi failed, the pan African dream is valid and needs a revival.

In an increasingly integrated and digitalised world that has made the world a global village, holding on to the state system that emphasises state sovereignty is no longer tenable.

In fact, megatrends like climate change, digitalisation, urbanisation, and shifts in global power relations have led to social transformations that have escaped political control and challenged the role of state as we know it.

To address these challenges, there is need for collective action beyond the state, which underpins why Africa must be more united.

For example, individual African countries cannot address challenges posed by foreign-based multi-billion dollar Big Tech companies in Africa, unless they unite and agree on a single policy position from which to negotiate and lobby.

A united Africa will not only promote business opportunities under the African Continent Free Trade Area, but is likely to be more peaceful and hence free up its inflated budgets on security and defence into more meaningful social developments like education and health.

Besides that, a united Africa will ensure the continent gets better deals and help reduce information asymmetry, especially when dealing with external partners in the Global North.

Finally, a united Africa will also boost international trade and Africa's stature in global affairs, while promoting intra-African trade that is comparatively still very low.

Poor infrastructure, trade barriers, political instability and lack of political goodwill from African leaders has made trading among African countries an expensive affair. To change this, Africa must forge a united voice in order to strategically position herself to fight for her rightful place on a competitive global stage.

The writer, Peter Kirui, is a Lecturer at the University of Eldoret.

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