Pragmatically Advancing The Rule of Law and Security in Africa, Paramount for The Successful Implementation of Italy's Piano Mattei (Mattei Plan) on the Continent

Abstract

The objective of this paper underscores the need for the Piano Mattei to have significant focus on advancing the rule of law - eradicating arbitrariness in governance, judicial reforms, security sector reforms, support for Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) legal aid initiatives, encouraging accountability, and tackling the wild spread of politically motivated restiveness in Africa. This is a desktop research that also included direct encounters with two experts on international cooperation between Africa and Europe, as well as information from a conference presentation made in Rome by the researcher. The limited availability of scholarly and credible professional knowledge on the Piano Mattei was a challenge for this research. Considering the above objective for this paper, the following were key findings: The need to train more rule of law and security professionals, as well as provide easy access to such training, even in Italy. The urgency is in making access to justice less political and more concerned with offering equal and affordable services, especially for the common people. Each African state’s remunerations for legal practitioners, the police, and the military personnel should be adequately enhanced. Also, it is necessary for some aspects of the Piano Mattei to be guided by the African Union Agenda 2063 framework; for example, Aspirations 3 and 4 of the Agenda 2063. One of the findings, as Mutua observes, is that, “focus should be placed on the meaning and practical effect of the rule of law and not just talking about its importance or necessity in Africa.”[1] A further key finding, as Mbaku observes is that “for the full operationalization of the rule of law in a country, the laws must not be externally imposed on the people. They must be those that the people understand, respect, and are able and willing to obey.”[2] This paper also found that migration may not actually be the proble but the legal management of migration. Finally, the need to have “adequate background analyses of African challenges and the genuine necessity for equal partnerships between individual African states and the Republic of Italy.”[3]  The implication of the above findings is that advancing the rule of law and security in Africa (through judicial reforms, security sector reforms, as well as government’s support for legal aid initiatives of non-governmental organizations), requires a human-centered approach to development cooperation on the continent which seeks to promote the genuine welfare of the people rather than promoting political propagandas.