A 54th state of Africa?

'Export or Perish', 'Export or Die' and 'Unite or Perish' are all part of the emerging attitude for the new global tide for economic reciprocity. In order for Africans as a whole to survive in this highly "regional" competitive world, then, the message must be shouted loud and clear: UNITE or PERISH.

African leadership is facing today a challenge similar to that which Japan was forced to deal with 52 years ago when the USA dropped two atomic bombs on their population, "to end WW2." The Japanese confronted their people and informed them that their resources were very limited and that they had to come together to deal with life threatening conditions. Africa's leadership must collectively do the same today. The Japanese, as well as that other defeated nation, Germany, have had a run of 52 years and their importance in the world today, exemplified by their membership of G7, can attest to their efforts. Both Japan and Germany are now economic super powers.

The global market today is far different from what it was at the end of WW2 or indeed the 1960s when most of Africa attained independence. It has been carved up into regional trading blocks. As of July 1997, China has regained control of Hong Kong, one of the four tigers, and is now in a position to regionalise the Pacific Rim. India and Pakistan are part of this rapidly expanding market. The Middle East and the rest of the Arab world has been organised into the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Europe's unification programme, led by the reunified and hence enormous Germany and France, stumbled for a while over the question of a single currency but remains on track. The European single currency is scheduled for introduction in 1999 and although Britain has so far declined to join the club, it will have to follow suit sooner rather than latter. The EU will be a major player in regional trading.

No longer able to sustain economic growth through her domestic market, America spearheaded the creation of the North American Common Market (i.e. USA, Canada and Mexico) based on the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) accords to utilise Mexico's cheap labour force, Canada's industries and USA information technology.

There is a common understanding: Unite or Perish. The villagisation of the world and increased global competition has led to the growth of these "trading blocks" designed to enable regions to compete economically. Most nation states realise that on their own, they just do not have the muscle to compete against blocks and have therefore opted to unite. African nation states, already some of the weakest in the world, cannot afford to be half-hearted in their pursuit of economic cooperation.

The basic difference between those regional movements and the OAU's new call to establish an African Economic Community (AEC), is that each one of developed nation states understood the necessity for coming together and so have instituted processes for change. In addition, they agreed to integrate their economies for collective economic reciprocity among supporting members.

Unfortunately, the light has still not dawned on too many African nation states. Most are after all still trying to come to terms with the idea of a nation state itself.

In this context, perhaps unification needs to take on a very different aspect. Rather than looking at unification of nation states, perhaps we should examine the concept of a unification of interests. We should start to look towards the millions of Africans and their descendants in the diaspora. This will include the African Americans in the US, and the Afro Caribbeans and native Africans living and working abroad.

As it happens, a movement is being launched for the creation of a new "nation state" with a bona fide membership of the OAU. This new nation state will be formed of America's 60m African Americans and Africans in the diaspora who have been trained and/or exposed to Western society's best technology.

It is the aim of these potential leaders to develop a vehicle for transitional change and regional reciprocal trade between Africans globally who seek to impact the economic growth of Africa. They will be arriving as the CEO's of American full-service (one stop) Export Trading Companies (ETCs) to establish a beach head for local consumption and infrastructural development.

They will be armed with the most advanced financial tools available on an international level and able to utilise a USA 1982 law (i.e. the PL 97-290 ETC Act, signed by former President Ronald Reagan on 8 October 1982), which provides "insurance and guarantees" to investor(s) with the "new-to-export" ETC. Plus, the ETC's can operate on a scale of economy that compliments the level of development of most African states.

In addition to the ETC Act of 1982, the state of Ohio has passed legislation (HB#562) which allows Ohio pension funds to invest/ purchase debentures of the African Development Bank (ADB) who could back the sale of country bonds to finance local and regional development. Also, Ohio's state treasurer (an African-American, Mr J. Kenneth Blackwell) is empowered to purchase those bonds.

This new course is being plotted by the proposed '54th' OAU member and reflects a potential trading block of $350bn to $405bn dollars annually (spent by African Americans) and will give Africa access to the domestic markets of North America (e.g. USA, Canada and Mexico) similar to that which the Lom[acute{e}] agreement provides for the ACP.

The 54th OAU/AEC member agenda items -- not necessarily in this order are: (1) reparation; (2) debt forgiveness; (3) dual citizenship and (4) single currency. Also, we would call for the immediate formation by the OAU of an Africa Minerals Exporting Countries (AMEC) block and the general consolidation of effort towards African economic growth continent-wide.

Secondly, we would push for the creation of new and/or expanded roles of regional facilities (i.e. SADC, ECOWAS, etc.) and establish stronger linkage at the ADB via creating a African Export-Import ("EXIM") bank.

Within our reparation arguments will be the reminder to the IMF/World Bank, that Africa's debt was created corruptly when former colonialists, shifted self-rule to selected leadership in exchange for their cooperation. We will examine IMF requirements that penalise African people into starvation to pay off an "illegal" debt which in effect contributes to the daily death of innocent children coping with disease and famine.

The new initiative taken by the OAU to form the AEC is but one step in the right direction. Nevertheless, in light of current developments, there is a need for open and serious dialogue over how Africans in the diaspora can assist in Africa's development as "special members" of the AEC.

Finally, we in the diaspora will denounce coups as regional and local country destabilisers, unacceptable as a means for change. We will insist that African leadership think globally and act locally. We will re-examine the "bad apple" in the barrel concept to investigate and inspect the barrel for contamination that "spoils-the-apples" in the barrel.

In an attempt to address the call for another plan I have been specifically broad in the new course for African leadership, but the regional trading opportunities can be addressed in the near term. We have already established a market niche for 'reverse investment' for immigration and 'joint-venture' business involvement inside America's urban and rural populations (i.e. the Ohio Plan of Action).

Unite or perish, unite or perish. Now.

MR ABDUR-RASHID ALI, the chief-executive officer of Global Group Export trading company, Cincinnati, Ohio. He argues that the millions of Africans in the diaspora, exposed to and raised in the modern western technological and economic culture, should constitute a new 'nation' within the OAU to serve as an adhesive agent for greater unity of the continent.