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Hi-Speed Institutions - for Hi-Speed Development

Dear All,

The creation of the African Union is a fantastic achievement.

The African Union has in record speed booked its first gigantic World success in creating a United African Market: The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). 

We must build on the African Union - make it powerful.

This means strengthening Africa's Unity and Africa's Capability all the way from the smallest village and up to the United African institutions of the Continent.

Things must happen fast now - we must build on.

Immediately we must now take the next big leap for a super African action-capability - to change gear into Hi-Speed.

Hi-Speed Development requires Hi-Speed Institutions.

Africa has a legacy of no less than 8 Regional Economic Communities (RECs). These regional communities were good as a step until the African Union was born. Africa's 8 RECs have served Africa well in trade, culture and cooperation. Remarkable work has been and is being done in the RECs.  We now need to put these great regional efforts into much higher effectiveness. Only the best is acceptable.

At top level - the African Union most be strengthened further. To direct a strong strategy for the whole Continent - and we must ensure that the Regional Structure of the Continent effectively can combine Union - Regional - and State levels into one strong organization with  maximum punch.  Africa must have maximum punch - because we want to catch up and surpass China, East Asia and the West.

This is ambitious - it must be.

We must create an even more effective structure of Continental & Regional Organization. More tasks must be transfered from the REC to Union level. Tasks like trade (ex. AfCFTA) and passport-unity are already widely been taken over by the AU. More tasks must go to the African Union. At the same time, a much stronger and new task-portfolio must be put to the RECs. We must quickly implement decisive changes in the structure of the RECs, so that new RECs can handle their manu new roles with maximum effectiveness. We need maximum effectiveness - nothing less.

The responsibilities and tasks of the existing 8 RECs are overlapping, potentially conflictual, and at any rate the existing REC structure is a waste of money, time and energy - all of which Africa has too little of. 

In principle, the African Union could coordinate the whole continent without any of the REC.  We could choose to delete all the RECs and coordinate all African states through the Union. Compare for instance with the USA. The USA has about same number of political units as Africa has - the USA is 50 states plus the areas of Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, and the Samoa - 55 in all. But Africa is not the USA.  We want immensely effective RECs to strengthen the African States and their Regions - bring the African Will up to the Union - and the United Africa out across all Regional contexts.  The RECs must be effective, because they must take on a much bigger burden. While the RECs continue to give functions up to the Union level, at the same time, the RECs must take up many more functions and must they must do that achieving an international level of competence which will impress the World. Today's structure of 8 RECs cannot handle what we must do - the people are good, but the structure is no longer the best. We must make sure people have the frame to do their best. We need the best.

Three RECs are enough.

We cannot do with less than three RECs - and anything more than three RECs is will decrease effectiveness.

Please allow me to demonstrate, how Africa can be structured optimally with exactly three RECs :

REC - Region NORTH

REC - Region CENTER