Kazungula: A Bridge to Afrikan prosperity!

The official commissioning of the P2billion Kazungula Bridge and One Stop Border Post facility on Monday, 10th May 2021 marked yet another milestone in Afrika’s interrupted development!

Yes, interrupted development, because had it not been for slavery and colonialism, Afrika would have charted for herself a unique economic development model – an antithesis of capitalism. Afrikans naturally and by customary tradition, defer to socialism! Growing up in the crop fields and at the cattle ranches as young boys and girls, we would share a meal from the same plate! Now this was the quintessential example of community – communalism or if you may, socialism!

The spirit of doing things together is innate in Afrikans – we would plough the fields together, weed together, harvest together and even feast together to thank our Gods for the bumper or plentiful harvest. Thus it’s not surprising that post-independence, we have survived (although not entirely) the debilitating effects of a foreign culture that was forcibly imposed on us by colonialists and imperialists – to chart a new path for ourselves, its perils notwithstanding. So, when Chairperson of the African Union (AU) President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) inaugurated the Kazungula Bridge and One Stop Border Facilities this week Monday, thoughts of Afrika’s might came flooding through my mind. Here is an iconic, grandiose structure strategically built at the confluence of the Zambezi River, where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe meets – a monument that signals the potential of strength in unity. It is a perfect practical expression of the many visions and platitudes that Afrika’s leaders are wont to make at their habitual conclaves! Thankfully, this time the two leaders of Botswana and Zambia, acted in accord to show to Afrika and the rest of the world what unity of purpose can achieve for us and our posterity. I was even reminded of the mighty Akosombo Dam on the Volta River which was constructed as early as 1961, or better still, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) – which sadly has become a source of conflict between neighbouring countries – Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan – when in actual fact, it ought to be a pride of regional integration. But, of-course we know and understand the neo-colonial undercurrents that pervade the entire fabric of Afrika’s development efforts, which render our leaders’ attempts at extricating from their economic grip, vain. It is this predicament that explains the sudden wars and conflicts across the width and breadth of Afrika. These are engineered conflicts, designed to hoodwink us with a perfectly packaged mirage presented to our leaders as ‘power’, when in truth and fact, it is nothing else but a ‘placebo’. It was however, so gratifying to see President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, President Edgar Lungu of Zambia and President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe joined in one accord to commit to the cause of Pan Afrikanism. Indeed, this bridge is not just an iconic symbol of infrastructure, but if the very essence of the meaning of free trade, as espoused by the SADC Trade Protocol and contained in the other documents of our supra-national institutions, such as the Agenda 2063 of the AU, and the recently-signed Afrikan Continental Free Trade Area (AcFTA). While this bridge sits at the confluence of Zambezi and connects these four countries, unfortunately only two – Botswana and Zambia – sponsored the project with the help of international cooperating partners – the Afrikan Development Bank (AfDB), Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the European Union (EU). It was however, gratifying to hear Mnangagwa announce that his country would in the “fullness of time” join the project and to hear from Masisi that indeed work is ongoing to finalise Zimbabwe’s membership to the project.

There is also hope that Namibia will also join this project. Eventually, this is the meaning of regional integration – it means joint ownership of infrastructure, it means the breaking down of barriers to trade by simplified border management systems, as exemplified by the One-Stop Border Post on the Botswana side. We express our sincerest gratitude to the Japanese government and peoples for the technical support in facilitating this OSBP, as well as the other at the Mamuno Border Post between Botswana and Namibia. It was also gratifying to hear that the DRC and Zambia will also consider emulating this project by constructing a similar bridge to connect them. With this bridge, we are now assured of improved intra-Afrika trade. I am confident that the presence of both the executive secretary of SADC and the COMESA secretary general will awaken the leaders of the two regional economic communities to the necessity of common infrastructural projects and infrastructure to aid trade not only in the region but even across the continent under the aegis of AcFTA. In the words of Marcus Mosiah Garvey – ‘Up, up, you might race you can accomplish what you will!’ It is indeed gratifying that this Bridge and OSBP were commissioned during Afrika Month.