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African companies are not proving competitive enough manufacturing, for example, in both intra- African and extra-regional trade has been falling over the last decade. This is due to a process of de-industrialisation. African companies are not competitive enough compared to Chinese products, for Right: Too example, and too much focus has been much focus has placed on commodity exports,” Louw- been placed Vaudran notes in her article. on commodity exports to “Upgrading road and railroad international infrastructure is, of course, essential. markets, among ‘Africa currently has fewer kilometres them China of roads than it did 30 years ago and the region has the highest costs for transporting goods in the world,’ says are still lagging behind in the process of It remains an enticing the [UNCTAD] report. All the usual issues implementing the common market protocol dream for many that plague productivity, such as lack of at different levels,” the East African states. sufficient energy supply and lack of skilled “The biggest challenge … is delays and African marketers labour, play a role here and are addressed commitment in harmonising national laws in the report,” she continued. to fit with the requirements of the protocol.” Among the problems are inconsistent East African Community immigration laws and differences in cross- Common Market border commercial transport requirements. e o o ef ete ante i e the title United States of Africa The nations of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Given that the various other regional Tanzania and Uganda formed their own groupings on the continent – among them East African Community Common Market the Southern African Customs Union and in July 2010 in an effort to significantly the West African Economic and Monetary boost trade and investments and Union – are not yet even at the stage of make the region more productive and the East African Community Common prosperous. This provides for four key Market, it seems the dream of a United ‘freedoms’ – free movement of goods, States of Africa will remain, for now, no labour, services and capital. more than a pipe dream. Forming a common market is the third As Lindiwe Zulu, international relations stage of the regional integration process adviser to South African President, Jacob (the first two being a free trade area and a Zuma, was quoted as saying by Britain’s customs union) and the next milestones in The Guardian newspaper: “It is very the integration process would be monetary desirable in the long term, but I don’t union and, ultimately, a fully-fledged East see it any time soon. There is a lot as the owners of the land. This is not African Community political federation. more to be done. We are still agonizing a foreign idea; it is an African idea. Its But, four years in, the common market over sovereignty.” origins are deep in the history of the still has notable problems. According But Professor Asante begs to differ: continent itself.” to an article on the East African news “I am convinced that Africa must be Given that a United States of Africa website, the integration process is due united as one federative union. I like the would offer a market of 1-billion people – for full implementation by 2015, but title ‘United States of Africa’,” he wrote. third only to China and India in size – and “tough decisions” will need to be made “I want to be able to travel and work be geographically more extensive than for this to happen. between Cape Town and Cairo, between the enormous Russian Federation, it “A new report by the EAC Secretariat Dakar and Dar es Salaam. I seek an Africa remains an enticing dream for many shows that the East African partner states where young people can see themselves African marketers! Third quarter 2014 strategicmarketingafrica 51 48-51 African Issues v3.indd 34 2014/06/26 3:47 PM