Workshop:

Since post-colonial States are like a blanket lying atop the reality of African societies instead of being a dynamic and integral part of those societies, it is on the local level, where people actually live—villages, neighbourhoods, towns, provinces—that the African governance of the future must be invented.

In the words of Ousmane Sy, it took the decentralisation movement of the 1990’s to make “administration come home”, i.e. for administration to once again become an integral part of society. At the same time, we can see that local territories—cities, regions, etc.—across the world are becoming, not vestiges of the past increasingly swept aside by the modern communications systems that instantly link all points on the planet, but on the contrary a basic building block in governance and a pivotal economic actor.

It is on this territorial scale that economic, social and ecological issues can be simultaneously managed. In addition, our economy is increasingly knowledge-based. As a result, the capacity of local actors to cooperate amongst themselves, what is known as ‘the territory’s immaterial capital’, is becoming the major factor in competitiveness. So an African project of governance must be built from the local level up. The territories must not, however, be considered walled-off, inward-looking entities. Rather, they need to be seen as open to their neighbours and the world.

None of the real problems of our societies can be managed on a single level. Rigid sharing out of competencies to each of the levels of governance, from the community to the entire continent, is bound to fail. What needs to be done, on the contrary, is to invent principles, methods and a culture of shared competencies and cooperation between the various levels of governance. This is what is now referred to as ‘multi-level governance’. The idea is facing resistance from long habit and from people attached to the feudal exercise of power–people who want to be absolute masters of their domains–but it will gradually gain ground. The principle of active subsidiarity describes methods enabling the various levels to cooperate on each societal issue.

The conference will provide an opportunity to identify and promote all the elements in local innovation today that can help invent the African governance of tomorrow, then discuss multi-level governance and make concrete proposals for implementing active subsidiarity.

Clearly, Africa already has at its disposal a number of institutions that encourage integration and federate the various African countries–from the African Union itself to the many regional organisations and those specialised in currencies, the economy, trade, water management, etc. In any case, national borders inherited from the colonial period rarely correspond to any profound human or historical reality. Exchanges between post-colonial States are nothing compared to the movement of people and goods, the migrations and contraband that pass across porous national boundaries. Yet States place innumerable obstacles in the way of this reality. Inter-governmental institutions purportedly work for regional integration; transborder communities actually participate in the process. They are two distinct realities with little connection between them.

Africa’s historical drama is that it fought for independence in order to construct sovereign States based on the model that former colonial powers left them, while the latter–having understood for themselves the terrible consequences of nationalism–were beginning to construct the European Union! With the African Union and regional organisations, the goal was to simulate this regional and continental integration without following the various steps that would have lent consistency to the project. The result was simply more institutions.

During the conference we will discuss processes to allow us to move toward authentic regional integration and a true African union.