AFRICAN CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AGREEMENT AND XENOPHOBIA

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is on the offing and the World Economic forum is at its ebb, with Nigeria and some other big economies in Africa like Ruwanda absent as a show of the displeasure over the recent Xenophobic attacks in South Africa which happens to be the host country of the World economic forum. The World Economic Forum is aimed at making the African Partnership more robust, as African leaders may continue to consolidate on the already signed African free trade Agreement which was initiated via an Extraordinary Summit on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) from 17-21 March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, during which the Agreement establishing the AfCFTA was presented for signing, along with the Kigali Declaration and the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to the Free Movement of Persons, Right to Residence and Right to Establishment. In an ironical twist the citizens of the countries who are signatories to the consolidated text of the AfCFTA Agreement have been made objects of xenophobic attacks for reasons bordering on racial and ethnic intolerance.

 Interestingly, Nigeria’s role in Africa especially South Africa has been crucial especially during the fight against apartheid and the eventual release of Nelson Mandela. It is a fact that during the apartheid in 1994, Nigeria was one of the foremost supporters of anti-apartheid movements, including the African National Congress the Nigerian government issued more than 300 passports to South Africans seeking to travel abroad.  Statistically what South Africa is gaining from Nigeria cannot be ignored going by what companies like MTN, MULTI CHOICE, SHOP RITE pulls out of the Nigerian economy. Economically, Nigeria which enjoys a positive annual trade balance of about $8.26 billion, with biggest export in crude oil amounting to about $36.9 billion, exports to south Africa about $4.98 billion worth of goods. 

The appreciation of Africans and Africa’s foreign policies with regards to the liberation of South Africa leaves much to be desired, in view of the recent xenophobic attacks on the businesses and lives of foreigners especially of Nigerians, the stigma of these attacks on the trades and source of livelihood of Africans and citizens of other nations residing in South Africa over the years may lead to monumental distrust and disillusionment not just on their investment but on their psyche and the fate of the ACFTA. In addition to this, the internal crises characterizing the Continent along political, ethnic and religious divides have claimed thousands if not millions of lives year after year, sincerely I would think we have become our own natural disaster and in this scenario is there any justification of the governments in condemning the xenophobic attacks seeing that there may be no safe haven for Africans even in their home countries. Recently, calls have been made by some countries for their citizens to return back home, but the reality is what would happen to their investments over there in South Africa or other similar flashpoints.

However, there is no justification for the Recent wave of mindless killings and looting in South Africa or the uncertainty characterizing the continuous stay of foreign Nationals in South Africa, which I honestly describe as an affront on the existence and mindset of the average African, but should this situation be allowed to fester unabated? The answer must be in my mind a resounding NO.  Xenophobia according to Wikipedia an online encyclopedia is defined as the fear or hatred of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange. xenophobia can involve perceptions of an ingroup toward an outgroup and can manifest itself in suspicion of the activities of others, and a desire to eliminate their presence to secure a presumed purity and may relate to a fear of losing national, ethnic or racial identity.  

There are a lot of questions still begging for answers i.e. what could have generated this level of hate against Nigerians and Africans alike by South Africans, Could it be diplomatic rivalry at multilateral Organizations, could it be the illegal drug trafficking organized crime problem or the penchant of South African women for foreign men which is most remarkable among so many other reasons, may I make haste to ask why didn’t the South African criminal justice system not investigate the accusations and arrest the culprits assuming that there is any truth in the illegal drug trafficking or organized crime theory in some quarters. Honestly, I am anxious to know what the actual issues are, however, only time will tell. This attack is one too many as such, massive arrests should be made and persons found to be involved in this inhuman acts of terror should be made to face justice.

Historically, South Africa is said to comprise of Bantu, Hottentots and the so called Bushmen. Demographically, South Africa comprises of Black Africans who make up about three quarters of the population and white, coloured or Asians make up the remainder. Tourism is widely viewed as a rich, potential source of jobs and foreign exchange and as an eventual alternative to the gold industry. Attraction is said to include the scenic beauty of the Cape wine region, the Drakensberg and the mountains of Mpumalanga, national parks and games reserves, beaches and climate. It is said that during the apartheid years this potential could not be realized because of the countries negative international image and perceived political instability. With this xenophobic attacks it is apparent that this will create even more volatility in the economy and this would definitely have a massive impact on the tourist potential and maybe even take South Africa back to the apartheid era or perhaps the era of Shaka Zulu.

Internationally, South Africa is said to maintain formal trade relations with various countries by means of treaties, trade agreements, and membership in international trade institutions. Interestingly, the centerpiece of South Africa’s foreign economic policy is the Southern African Development Community (SADC), comprising Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The member states of the SADC are said to have negotiated a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to strengthen trade. Investment and industrial linkages within the region.  

Paradoxically, the African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) is believed to offer opportunities for African countries to boost intra-African trade and strengthen their economies through diversification, structural transformation, and enhanced efficiency. Unexpectedly, not all states negotiating the CFTA appear to have committed themselves to respect, protect and fulfill human rights, whether through ratification of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) or of global treaties such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), as well as through regional economic communities (RECs) and policy commitments such as Agenda 2063. Human right is a global principle which requires that states observe obligations which are inalienable and essential to every human being by virtue of their being human. These include preventing discrimination and protecting the right to life, Freedom of movement, freedom of expression etc.

 Human right is fundamental and should be considered above other interests. It is pertinent to remind us that placing too much reliance on conventional economic measurements of economy wide potential gains arising from liberalization can over shadow distributional impacts. Recent economic modeling confirms that the CFTA will impact differently on different countries and different social economic groups, for instance a report suggests that Trade liberalization can exacerbate inequalities and worsen women’s economic and social status. The African economy is based mainly on Agriculture and most African countries do not have a functional social security system. In addition, an import oriented economy will not thrive in an export oriented system because external trade and the competition will kill the vulnerable local industries, this will have a negative impact on most vulnerable people especially in Nigeria.

Beyond semantics, the killings of innocent lives and destruction of properties in the name of xenophobia or any other guise should not be tolerated neither in Nigeria nor South Africa nor anywhere in the world. Countries need to stand together with one voice in condemning such affront on their fellow men or women.

 In conclusion, even as the xenophobic attacks persist may I humbly suggest that Africa needs to reconsider her foreign policy direction, even though I am not certain about the future of the Continental free trade agreement, African foreign policy should be clearer and be more defined especially that it is more responsible for the lives of each and every one of her citizens and further ensure that nobody is left behind in the formation of such policies no matter how small.

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