Continental Civil Society Conference

The Continental Civil Society Conference on the Proposed African Union Government, organized by the Ghanaian Civil Society AU Coalition, was held in Accra Ghana, June 22-23rd, 2007. 100 civil society organizations from 50 countries across Africa participated in this conference entitled “Accelerating Africa’s Integration and Development in the 21st Century: Prospects and Challenges of Union Government”. The intent of this conference was for civil society organizations (CSO’s) to convene and develop a harmonized approach to ensuring that the citizens of Africa are included in the formation of a unified African government.

The conference addressed important matters concerning integration, strengthening the Regional Economic Communities, African citizenship and identity, and the African Diaspora’s inclusion in the process. Other matters addressed included democratic governance, human rights, trade, economic and human development, and the question of sovereignty.

However, at the core of this conference was the importance of the voice of the people in the formation of the AU government. Representatives previously held consultations with local, national, and governmental level organizations and individuals to solicit input and concerns about the impending AU government. Reports from these consultations were delivered here, including reports from local level consultations held in Ethiopia, Senegal, and Ghana. The overall message that came from these consultations is that civil society must be involved in this process at every stage.

A civil society communiqué entitled “From a “grand debate” to grand actions for a united Africa” was created at the close of this conference and will be presented to the Assembly of Heads of States. The communiqué states: “There is a clear consensus among us in favour of rapidly accelerating continental integration in order to respond to current and future economic, political and social challenges. Accordingly, we support the proposal for the establishment of a Union Government. We believe that the Union Government must be a People’s Union and must be built on values of participation and democracy in its construction and implementation at continental, regional and national level.”

Speakers at this conference included the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ghana Hon. Nana Akuffo Addo, Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey of IDEG, Ozias Tungwarara of AfriMAP, Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem of the UN Millenium Campaign, Hakima Abbas of the AU-Monitor, Professor Atukwei Okai, Irungu Houghton of Oxfam and various civil society organization representatives.

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