Her Ancestors’ Keeper: Realising Africa’s Sustainable Economic Development and Relations through the Infusion of Values in Intra-African Investment Agreements

Abstract

Traditional African structures, customs, and values had been altered by the colonial authority. Around 1958, post-colonial regimes began to emerge as colonialism began to destabilise. A series of Pan-African Congresses (PAC) were held to explore African concerns and measures for attaining African unity. The PAC’s 5th Congress of Manchester, when most African states earned their independence, is significant for this paper. The PAC argued for the African continent’s full independence and a total rejection of colonialism and exploitation in all forms. As a result, when African governments recovered their independence, they prioritised sovereignty over re-identification in the post-colonial era. However, the African Union (which replaced the Organisation of African Unity) to a certain level, provided Africa with identity through Agenda 2063. Nevertheless, international investment agreements (IIAs) that African states conclude do not contain values or African cultures. The main question in this paper is how can Africa infuse culture and values in its IIAs? The paper seeks to find a way to include African identity, cultures and values in IIAs in a way that would increase the implementation of these instruments.