Gambia: What Does BREXIT Means for Africa?

Voters in the United Kingdom and its overseas territory - Gibraltar, have exercised their democratic rights in a historic and closely fought referendum on Thursday 23rd June, 2016. The referendum which attracted a turnout of over 30 million eligible voters amounting to 71.8%, asked voters to decide whether the UK should leave or remain in the European Union. The final outcome of the polls was announced as 51.9% for the LEAVE campaign and 48.1% for REMAIN -  a result described by the BBC as seismic in nature, which consequently prompted the resignation of Prime Minister - David Cameron.

A further breakdown of the votes exposed the deep division in British politics. While Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to ‘remain’ in the EU, Wales and England opted to ‘leave’. In fact, London is the only region in England that voted to remain in the European Union. It also manifested the generation divide in regards to the referendum with majority of young voters opted to ‘remain’ while most people aged over 55, decided to vote for ‘leave’.

Photo source: gambiamonitor

So with a fair amount of  uncertainties surrounding the outcome of the votes, we extract some analysis from the BBC Africa Business Report editor as to what BREXIT might mean for the African continent:

On Trade

The UK's trade deals with Africa are essentially the EU's trade deals with Africa. As the UK exits the European Union, all of those deals will have to be renegotiated. That could take years, leaving trade relations between the UK and Africa in limbo. It's likely, though, that the UK will simply keep the same trade deals with its African partners for the foreseeable future.

On Immigration

Much of the debate running up to the referendum centred on immigration. Now that Brexit has been confirmed, those Africans living in the UK and those hoping to go to the UK will be concerned about their status. It's unclear what exactly a post-Brexit immigration policy would look like, but many analysts are saying that controls are bound to be tighter. Others say that, in order to boost trade relations with several African countries, the UK could make immigration for Commonwealth citizens slightly easier. After all, the IMF predicts that by 2019 the Commonwealth will contribute more to the world's economic output than the EU. So, those African citizens whose countries are members of the Commonwealth may have an easier time immigrating to the UK than those from non-Commonwealth African states.

On Development Aid

The UK has pledged 0.7% of its Gross National Income (GNI) to development aid. Now, while it probably won't go back on that promise, if the UK goes into recession and the GNI falls, that reduces the amount of money for aid in real terms. More than this, the UK was one of the biggest supporters of EU aid programmes in Africa, both politically and financially. While the UK will most likely continue to honour its own aid commitments, a changing attitude to aid could evolve within a UK-less European Union.

Gambiamonitor would however, like to stress that, it’s still early days and no one knows with absolute certainty what a post-BREXIT foreign policy will entail. In the meantime, though, we join the rest of the world to continue to speculate while patiently waiting for the exact consequences of BREXIT to the global economy.

“Africa’s Time is now”: Canadian Government and Businesses Urged to Invest in an Emerging Continent

 The time is ripe to invest in Africa and Canadian investors should look for long-term opportunities on the continent. This was the resounding message emerging from a VIP breakfast meeting attended by African Development Bank Group President Akinwumi Adesina and former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on the sidelines of the 22nd International Economic Forum of the Americas - Conference of Montreal.

“Africa is a very resilient continent. We are looking at some of the fastest-growing economies in the world: Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire,” Adesina told the 30 or so invités gathered Wednesday morning at the downtown Montreal law offices of the global firm Dentons.

“Africa is growing at 3.6%, the global economic growth is 3.2%. The United States is growing at 1.9%, Europe is growing at 1.5%, Japan is growing at 0.5%. Africa is doing reasonably well in a really tough environment.”

Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien echoed Adesina’s optimism for the continent. “The figures that Dr. Adesina revealed show that Africa is a place where growth will come. You have a continent of 800 million people. It’s a huge continent that is extremely rich in resources.”

Chretien said on his travels in Africa, he was struck by the enormous energy potential in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “The Congo River and the potential for electricity that they have in that country is greater than all the electricity produced in Quebec. And there is enough power potential there to provide electricity to the 800 million people of the African continent. The potential is fantastic.”

AfDB President - Akinwumi Adesina

“Africa is doing well. It is resilient,” Adesina said. “Times are tough, but it’s tough for everybody. I think the forecast remains very strong; however, we have to make sure it’s shared growth, that it’s a more inclusive growth process.”

The greatest challenge facing Africa today is youth unemployment, Adesina continued. Between 10 and 12 million young Africans enter the workforce each year, yet only three million formal jobs are created annually. At the Bank’s 2016 Annual Meetings in May, the Bank launched Jobs for Youth in Africa, an initiative that aims to create 25 million jobs for young people over the next 10 years.

“Africa will be the continent of tomorrow. In my view, it’s a good place to invest,” said Chretien, adding that Canadians have historically worked well with African countries.

Chretien said that, sadly, for a decade, Canada was much less engaged with Africa. Those years are lost, he said. However, he said the Canadian Government must now work very hard to re-engage with African countries. “We had built a good reputation in Africa. It will come back. Now we have to go back and be more present in Africa. We should not look at Africa like it needs help; we should look at opportunities for investment.”

“Whether you are investing in energy, renewable energy, real estate, or infrastructure, we are waiting for you in Africa,” Adesina said. “The African Development Bank stands ready to work with the private sector. I’d like to talk to Canadians about energy and what we can do to work together.”

The breakfast, which was hosted by Dentons Canada Chair Michel Brunet, was also attended by Francis Gatare, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board; Peter Gerber, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Lufthansa Cargo; the AfDB Executive Director for Canada, Hau Sing Tse; representatives from the diplomatic corps, charitable organizations and the private sector.

Source: afdb.org

Gambia: Tribal and Religious Divide - Potential Threat to National Security

Throughout the history of mankind, tribal and religious divide have become synonymous with violence, instigating the most brutal of atrocities the world has ever witnessed. Too much blood have been spilt and so many innocent lives lost as a result of senseless and unprovoked attacks to certain groups in society whose only crimes are either their religious beliefs or the tribe they happen to belong.

Ethnic tensions between the Hutus and the Tutsis sparked the unfortunate Rwandan genocide. On April 6th 1994, as Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana returned from a round of talks in neighboring Tanzania, he was killed when his plane was shot down outside of the country’s capital, Kigali. The president’s death provided a spark for an organised campaign of violence against Tutsi and moderate Hutu civilians across the country. In just a matter of hours, Hutu rebels surrounded the capital and took over the streets of Kigali. Within a day, the Hutus had successfully eliminated Rwanda’s moderate leadership. As the weeks progressed, Tutsis and anyone suspected of having any ties to a Tutsi, were killed (endgenocide).

Within 100 days, about 800,000 people senselessly lost their lives, about 500,000 women reportedly raped and an estimated 100,000 children orphaned.

And most recently in in 2013, a brutal religious tension broke out in the Central African Republic when the Seleka group - a rebel movement representing Muslims, from the northeast of the country launched a major military offensive and topple the government of President Francois Bozize. The anti-Balaka Christian group put up a resistance and start attacking Muslim civilians which prompted the Seleka group to retaliate and also started killing non-Muslims, targeting mainly the ‘Gbaya ethnic group’.

The end result again; mass atrocities, homes and livelihoods reduced to ashes, as well as thousands of displaced people.

Photo source: betanews

These two unfortunate episodes among other violent troubles pretty much darkens African history. Therefore, they should be observed as a wake up call to all African countries, especially the Gambia where religious and ethnic divide is slowly starting to brew. Two recent declarations made the country's President are clear indications that if care is not taken, peace-loving Gambians might be heading to a very bleak future indeed.

Firstly, the Gambia was declared an Islamic State by the President to the bewilderment of many including myself. The Gambia has forever been a secular state even though the country’s population is about 90% Muslim. So it goes without saying that Christians and people of other faiths in the country will be feeling somehow marginalised by such proclamation. And this could only lead to resentment by such minority groups who have nothing but enjoyed the most harmonious of relationships with Muslims throughout the history of the Gambia.

Secondly, the President, at his recent meet-the-people's tour accused the biggest ethnic group in the country of tribalism and also labelled them as foreigners. This, in my opinion will go down as one of the most miscalculated and misguided statement he has ever made. If the Mandinkas who inhabited the Gambia for centuries are ineligible to be classified as Gambians, then I for one have no clue who a Gambian really is. The President's remarks understandably grabbed the headlines once more, inundated the social media outlets, and even prompted a condemnation from the UN Secretary General's adviser on the prevention of genocide.

So Gambia, lest we forget! we ought to be very careful. We must never be divided into 'us' versus 'them'. Tribalism and Religious conflicts must never visit our beloved country. At the end of the day, be it Mandinka or Wolof, Christian or Muslim, we are all equal in the eyes of the Almighty.

West Africa: 49th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government

The forty-ninth Ordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was convened in Dakar, Republic of Senegal on 4th June, 2016, under the chairmanship of H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal and current Chair of the Authority.

The session was attended by the under-listed Heads of State and Government or their duly mandated representatives:

• H.E. Patrice TALON, President of the Republic of Benin
• H.E. Roch Marc Christian KABORE, President of Burkina Faso
• H.E. Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire
• H.E. Jorge Carlos de Almeida FONSECA, President of the Republic of Cabo Verde
• H.E. John Dramani MAHAMA, President of the Republic of Ghana
• H.E. Prof Alpha CONDE, President of the Republic of Guinea
• H.E. Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF, President of the Republic of Liberia
• H.E. Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA, President of the Republic of Mali
• H.E Macky SALL, President of the Republic of Senegal
• H.E. Ernest Bai KOROMA, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone
• H.E. Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
• H.E. Dr Baciro DJA, Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea H.E. Abdoulie JOBE, Minister for Trade, Regional Integration and Employment of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia
• H.E. Adji Oteth AYASSOR, Senior Minister for Economy, Finance and Development Planning of the Togolese Republic

The session was also attended by Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for West Africa and representatives of the President of the African Union Commission and the Commission of the West African Monetary and Economic Union (UEMOA) as observers.

ON THE SITUATION IN THE GAMBIA

The Authority commends the recent joint good offices mission fielded to the Gambia by the Commission President, the United Nations Special Representative in West Africa and the Sahel and the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, in the wake of the tensions that arose after the closure of the borders between The Gambia and Senegal in February 2016 and the demonstrations staged by the opposition on 14 and 16 April 2016.

While commending Gambia’s political stakeholders for the signing, on 20 April 2016, of an agreement to hold free elections, the Summit encourages the Gambian Government and Parliament to initiate the requisite reforms for the conduct of inclusive, free and credible elections and urges the security forces to refrain from the use of excessive force against the citizens and adopt a responsible approach.

The Authority consequently calls on the Gambian government and the opposition to engage in a frank dialogue at the earliest possible time and encourages the Independent Electoral Commission to prepare a Road Map for approval by all the stakeholders of the electoral process.

The Authority welcomes the opening of the borders between The Gambia and Senegal on 24 May 2016 and calls on the two sister states to give dialogue a chance while strictly complying with the principles of free movement of persons, and goods as set out in the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement. 

The Summit instructs the ECOWAS Commission to deploy as soon as possible, a pre-electoral technical mission to appraise the electoral process in The Gambia.

Source: ecowas.int