AGENDA 2063 is one of Africa’s blueprints that is anchored on seven aspirations.
Anon are the seven aspirations, prosperous Africa, an integrated Africa, good governance and rule of law, a peaceful and secure Africa, strong cultural identity, people driven development and Africa as global player.
It is the intention of this opinion piece to interrogate the feasibility of the Africa we want by 2063 (Agenda 2063) by taking an extended look at these aspirations against what is happening in a pocket of African countries like Sudan, South Africa, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
A tooth-pick assessment of the conflict in Sudan shows that the biggest negative beneficiaries of any conflict are women, children and people with disabilities.
At the material time of putting together this opinion piece there is serious starvation, internal displacement, human rights violations and toxic masculinity demonstrated through rape in Sudan necessitated by the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) (the official military of Sudan) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Belligerents of both military outfits are accused of gross violations of human rights.
A further cursory assessment of what this conflict has wrought on civil objects shows that the aspirations of the global commons (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 will remain a pie in the sky for Africans.
What is concerning is that the regional blocs like Africa Union and its sub-blocs seem not to have any clue for conflict prevention, management and resolution.
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With respect to what is happening in South Africa where black South Africans are actively involved in ejecting foreigners from their hospitals (healthcare nationalism) and demonstrating attitudes of high-handedness towards foreigners, one can only hope and pray for the day when South Africans can engage in emotional housecleaning.
It is, indeed, unfortunate that African leaders preach Agenda 2063 where Africa will be united, prosperous, rules-based, peaceful, people-driven in terms of development and strong in its rainbow cultures, when South Africans are treating their fellow black counterparts with disdain, disrespect and deeply ingrained scorn.
Where is the rule of law when black South Africans remove foreigners from hospital queues?
Where is Ubuntu when South Africans treat other Africans without any norms of civility?
Where is the African communal self for the South Africans?
Is it morally justifiable to use geography and history as enablers for accessing healthcare for human beings whose political, social and economic circumstances have made them cross the border into South Africa?
The aspirations of Agenda 2063 will just remain aspirations if not ideals, if African leaders in general and South African state managers leave black South Africans to do as they please with foreigners.
Agenda 2063 is not an event but a process and as a process it should be part of the lived experiences of all Africans that are contemporaneous to its cause.
The social infrastructure needs, food and nutrition security of people cannot be defined according to geography, time and space.
All human beings, the issue of borders aside need food, fall ill, need love, security and support and the onus is upon African governments to respect, protect and fulfil the needs and rights of Africans wherever they are.
Black South Africans are behaving worse than the white colonialists and their actions are working at odds with the aspirations of the global commons and Agenda 2063.
The AU should intervene because this is a humanitarian crisis where foreigners are treated as lesser beings who have no rights. African leaders should walk their talk of unity and peace.
Agenda 2063 cannot be achievable when AU and Sadc fail to resolve the conflict in the DRC, where Rwanda is claimed to have a hand in the whole conflict.
How can African leaders claim to be working towards the Africa they want when the dispute between the DRC and Rwanda is mediated in the United States?
Is this a typical example of prophets having no honour in their own country?
Peace-building and peace-making for African countries should begin and end with African leaders because African countries are neighbours both by history and geography and are better placed to address the structural causes of the conflicts on their continent.
African leaders should rally behind one another to solve their own problems.
Dependency on the East and West is a recipe for continued exploitation and manipulation.
Agenda 2063 will remain elusive if African countries continue to depend on Europe or America for the resolution of their problems.
The AU should work towards unifying Africa through cross functional collaboration that can be used for comparative analysis in doing business with one another.
For example, AfCFTA has sound goals and objectives that are taking time to be folded into the Agenda 2063.
Sudan, South Africa, Rwanda and the DRC are only a few African countries that have been used to demonstrate that Agenda 2063 has leading indicators of an empty slogan, otherwise a plethora of African countries constitute a walking disaster for the continent.
Africa should unite in order for it to be a global player, otherwise it will leave in perpetual poverty, conflict and disharmony.
- Nicholas Aribino is an Inclusion and development specialist. He writes here in his personal capacity.
