Online Reporter
Zvamaida Murwira in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
The African Union (AU) Executive Council has launched “Team Africa”, a unified continental platform aimed at streamlining joint programming, enhancing coordination and mobilising resources more effectively to finance sustainable development across Africa.
Launched here during the 47th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council the platform is expected to foster stronger partnerships among AU Member States, the African Union Commission and Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
Pan African Parliament president, Chief Fortune Charumbira, who attended the launch, hailed the initiative as a welcome step towards accelerating Africa’s development and integration agenda.
Chief Charumbira said Team Africa aligns with the founding ideals of the African Union, which include economic integration, political cooperation and collective self-reliance.
He said regional and continental blocs such as the AU and the European Union were established primarily to foster economic integration and cooperation among member states, leading to increased trade, investment and economic growth.
“They also aim to enhance regional and continental stability, security and political cooperation,” he said.
He said launch of Team Africa is consistent with the AU’s Constitutive Act, which seeks to promote unity, solidarity and stability across the continent.
However, he also lamented that such a mechanism should have been introduced much earlier.
“The establishment of Team Africa, therefore, resonates fully with the reason for the establishment of the African Union and any other regional bloc, hence my contention that it ought to have come much earlier than today,” he said.
“However, we still applaud its establishment as a positive step forward in the continental integration and sustainable development process.”
He said the team must ensure equitable development on the continent.
“Amidst the accolades celebrating the establishment of this critical development coordination vehicle, allow me to play the role of the devil’s advocate and sound a few sobering warning nuggets,” added Chief Charumbira.
“Admittedly, Africa’s development is suffering from fragmented initiatives, duplicated efforts and limited stakeholder coordination, among other challenges limiting the impact of development initiatives on the continent.
“For Team Africa to be effective, it must not suffer the same fate that has hampered the effectiveness of other continental and regional mechanisms.
“Continental and regional blocs have failed in some instances because of the perception that some countries are benefiting from development initiatives more than others.
“This can exacerbate inequality among member countries and thus militate against the objective of equitable and sustainable development.”
Chief Charumbira also highlighted the need for Team Africa to address rising global protectionism, citing recent trade restrictions such as those imposed by the United States as an emerging threat to regional integration.
He further called for development efforts under Team Africa to take a holistic value chain approach, focusing not just on isolated stages of production, but on interconnected systems that span from conception to consumption.
“Value chain development recognises that each stage of the chain is interconnected and interdependent,” he said.
