Global Policy Forum

By Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

"We have to think and work in a new way. We have to make every effort to understand in a real way the challenging work ahead of us. We have to overcome the debilitating effect of inertia."

The words of Thabo Mbeki, the South African president and inaugural leader of the African Union (AU) are both a leitmotif and a tall order for the new continental organization that will replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on Tuesday in Durban.

A different name, same problems, say the sceptics. And in many ways they are correct. The OAU may now be part of African history, but most of the troubles it faced as an organization are the same ones that the AU will have to grapple with: violent conflict, poverty, underdevelopment and anti-democratic leaders.

But there are some new hurdles and challenges. The AU is intended to strive for good governance and the economic development of Africa and a voluntary peer review system is to come into being which should monitor the conduct of African leaders and steer them back onto the right path when they stray. And, of course, there is Nepad - the New Partnership for Africa's Development, the flagship development programme of the AU.

Unlike the OAU, the new-look organization is also meant to directly intervene in the continent's wars and crises and will have a Peace and Security Council to help and a peacekeeping force to back up its initiatives.

But the United Nations'secretary-general, Kofi Annan, has warned that the changes are not just about Africa looking good; Africa must be seen to act decisively, once problems have been identified, and he adds that the continent will be judged on its performance and this could affect key factors, such as foreign aid.

"They will respect us even more when they see us actually resolve the conflicts that disfigure our continent. And I do mean resolve them. Managing them is not enough," said Annan at the opening session of the summit.

In a two-word answer to allAfrica.com's question about what change there will be in the move from the OAU to the AU, Mbeki answered "excellent change". The South African leader had a spring in his step and a smile in his voice as he led fellow African presidents into a state banquet on Monday night after a long and tiring day of deliberations in a heads of state plenary session.

African leaders spent Monday burying the OAU and preparing to launch the AU on Tuesday. But a number of last-minute wrinkles still remained to be ironed out late in the evening, among them, last minute modifications to the Constitutive Act of the Union. These amendments, mostly proposed by Libya journalists were told, ranged from the simple matters - such as changing 'member states' to AU 'members' - to more tricky points which will take longer to deal with.

The founding principles of the AU, enshrined in the Act, were ratified by African parliaments around the continent. The process of changing them is long and could last up to one year.

This 11th hour discussion kept the African leaders in session way past the scheduled time for a fireworks display, followed by a South African-hosted dinner, which they finally trooped into at just before 11pm local time.

But the critical question about what, if any, change the transformation from OAU to AU will herald for the average African has not received much attention from the leadership elite gathered in Durban. Ordinary Africans know and probably care little about the wranglings and lobbying that characterizes high-level meetings and summit of this kind.

Their wish is for a tangible improvement in their lives. They may ask what a continental central bank, court of justice or even Nepad will do for them.

And there remains a niggling doubt that the same undemocratic leaders who nestled comfortably for years in the bosom of the OAU - and may be lurking under the wings of the fledgling African Union - are not truly committed to change.

The question is whether - through peer review or other conduct-monitoring mechanisms - errant African presidents who have become used to having their own way, without owing any accountability to their counterparts in other countries, will be able to adapt to a new, more rigorous reality.

As more than 40 presidents and heads of government gather at a stadium in Durban to celebrate the birth of the African Union, their people may hope that they have that at the back of their minds.

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