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Too many generals and few lieutenants

I am not surprised that so far, no concrete proposals or blue print of action have followed the Senchi Meeting on the economy.

I am equally not much disappointed that nothing specific has occurred after the ECOWAS Meeting in Accra.  Sadly, I have to conclude that nothing much has changed in Africa.

The jamborees and long beautiful statements continue while most of the rest of the world move on to improve life for their people.  Of course, the leaders of Europe, the Americas and other lands also have their jamborees.  But often, this is after a lot of work has been done by officials who proceed to give substance to the intentions and aspirations of the leaders after the big meeting or conference has ended.

The origins of the African Union show that the decisions and intentions of colourful meetings are only given effect by competent officials or lieutenants.  

Radical leaders called a meeting at Casablanca to coordinate their views on the crisis which threatened to split the Congo into Katanga and other autonomous enclaves.  

The meeting was not restricted to African states.  In fact, the representative of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) took an active part in the deliberations.  The aim of the meeting was to safeguard the territorial integrity of the Congo after the chaos following the murder of the Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba.

African leaders realised that it was necessary to come together to present a united front at the United Nations.  King Mohammed of Morocco hosted the meeting.  A makeshift secretariat was set up at the meeting.  I remember kneeling on a carpet with the King’s son (later to become King Hassan) to collate conference minutes and resolutions.

It realised that without an institution or secretariat to give substance to the deliberations of the conference, it would be all noise and empty gestures.  Kwame Nkrumah was elected Secretary to deal with the implementation of the decisions of the conference.  

Nkrumah returned home to put the ideas and agreements of the meeting into shape.  I was his chief lieutenant at the conference and he asked me to move from the Foreign Ministry to assist him at the Flagstaff House.  

He worked hard.  I found the tempo of work a bit too much and was eager to return to the Foreign Ministry.  After I had helped to put the conference deliberations into shape for action, I returned to the Ministry. But the President called me back and gave me an office and was instructed not to leave.

Kwame Nkrumah bombarded those who attended the Casablanca meeting with concrete proposals which were consequences of their own statements.  The Casablanca group of six African states emerged and their views became the ‘African position’.  

This was too much for the less radical African states and their foreign supporters.  

The Monrovia group was formed to challenge the claim of the Casablanca powers to speak for Africa.  Eventually, the two groups merged at Addis Ababa in 1963 to form the Organisation of African Unity.  

The Ghana delegation, led by President Nkrumah, fought hard to establish an effective machine or secretariat to put the views and aspirations of the Heads of State and Government into form and practice.

The institution of lieutenants or officials did not work as effectively as Nkrumah wanted.  He campaigned for a Union Government of Africa whose Heads of State and Government would not only meet annually in a colourful jamboree but which would establish an effective institution of lieutenants or officials to put the views and ideas of the leaders into effect.

Nkrumah built ‘Job 600’ in Accra in less than a year and expected the summit meeting in Accra in 1965 to pronounce on the Union Government of Africa.  This did not happen and he was sorely disappointed.  But we now have the African Union and this would promote the aspirations of the Founding Fathers of African Unity if lieutenants and officials are entrusted to put resolutions and decisions into effect as is done in the European Union.

Unfortunately, our institutions on the continent are top-heavy.  Heads of State, are reluctant or afraid to entrust the little power which is necessary to lieutenants and officials.

In their In their own countries, our Heads of State tend to be Commanders-In-Chief surrounded by Ministers as Generals.  

These Generals like their leaders are afraid to cede the little discretion necessary to lieutenants or officials.  The Commander-In-Chief or President is compelled to appoint mini-Generals to advise and assist him.  But without lieutenants or foot soldiers of administrative competence, these mini-Generals or top advisers cannot do much.  Thus, we have bloated administrations with incumbents who do not understand their role or mission.

The Commander-In-Chief and the Generals in the corridors of power go to meetings, enjoy the limelight, collect ‘per diems’ and return to continue as before.  It is not realised that competent experienced ‘foot soldiers’ or officials are needed to ‘translate’ the fine resolutions or agreements into concrete form and see to it that they are implemented for the public good.

Recently our President hosted an ECOWAS Meeting.  The main topic was apparently the Boko Haram issue in Nigeria.  A fine resolution was issued.  But what next?

What do the various clauses of the communiqué mean? If we say we are ready to help Nigeria what do we mean? If financial assistance is required do we suggest a meeting of Finance Ministers or the relevant authorities? If support on the ground is required do we ask the Generals to meet? And what role does the neighbour of Nigeria play.  

What brotherly assistance do we receive from Nigeria’s neighbours? The resolutions of the ECOWAS Generals would be mere words without follow-up action led by lieutenants or officials.

In the same way, the fine words of Senchi will come to nought without concrete interpretation and plan of action by competent officials.  We need competent disciplined civil servants and state officials to help implement the ideas and proposals which were agreed and which float around in the corridors of the Commander-In-Chief and his Generals.

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