I have attended a few African Union (AU) Heads of State Summits and always came away with the impression that the agenda is always overloaded. But three things struck me about the 16 July meeting in Nairobi. First, its modest three-point objectives; fast-tracking the integration process in Africa; examining the Division of Labour among the AU, Regional Economic Commissions and states, and considering the AU Institutional Reform. The second thing that occurred to me is that Africa may be weighed down by volumes of speeches, presentations and neo-liberal theorisations rather than practical plans that would quicken integration.
My third conclusion is that Africa can achieve integration and development faster if Nigeria were awake. The Summit’s theme was the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the integration of the continent. To me, the most basic needs for these are the removal of visa requirements and the free movement of people and…