HAPPY AFRICA DAY , BY Prof. Alice Ncube

Exactly on this day – 25 May 1963, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia- the now and the future

Agenda 2063 – The Africa We Want

By: Alice Ncube

Associate Professor and Program Director, University of the Free State, DiMTEC, South Africa

Secretary – Africa Science and Technology Advisory Group on disaster risk reduction

We celebrate Africa day today in the face of not only challenges or vulnerabilities facing our continent and communities but in the light of successes and resilience of the continent communities at large.

Africa Day is simply an indication that together as an “Africa” we can achieve.

Since its inception in 1963, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) has surely evolved to the current African Union Commission (AUC), something we need to be proud of. The Agenda 2063 slogan of the Africa we want is not just rhetoric but also a force to reckon with. When the heads of state came up with this overarching agenda, they had engaged, deliberated, and conceptualized what they wanted the continent to be like in thirty years to come. Genealogically, this means that this was an aspiration by our African leaders, that is, our African leaders, to have a way for a brighter future for us and the future generations.

The long-term planning by African heads of state since the OAU transition to AUC is an indication that Africa will achieve. With the help of the eight regional economic groupings namely the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Community of Sahel–Saharan States (CEN–SAD), East African Community (EAC), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and Southern African Development Community (SADC) there is no doubt that we can achieve and see our aspirations come to fruition.

Going through all the milestones on the continent be it by the continent, the Regional Economic Committees (RECs) or Economic groups, not taking anything away from the private sector, individual governments and non-governmental organisations, civil organisations and individuals, one can confidently say the Sustainable Development Goals could be within Africa’s reach though it maybe difficulty to achieve them in five years as targeted. The African Union is hard at work and through my portfolio in AfSTAG- DRR, disaster risk reduction activities are not part and parcel of our everyday life and all efforts are directed towards the slogan that says disaster management is everyone’s business.

Finally, as we celebrate Africa Day today, let us all stand up and look and the achievements on our continent. We can achieve it, it is doable, and let us all continue to collectively work towards the 2063 agenda that is “The Africa We Want”.             … Happy Africa Day …