Reinventing The Commonwealth

Monday, March 13, 2023, was Commonwealth Day!
Held every year on the second Monday of March, the day was an opportunity to celebrate the Commonwealth and its shared values of democracy, equality, and peace for all of its people. The Commonwealth of Nations, a voluntary association of 56 countries, extends over six continents and includes the world’s biggest, smallest, richest, and poorest countries. With a total population of 2.4 billion, it gives a unified voice to about a third of the world’s population.
This year’s theme is “Forging a sustainable and peaceful common future”. The theme combines the active commitment of member states to support the promotion of peace, prosperity and sustainability, especially through climate action, to secure a better future for young people and improve the lives of all Commonwealth citizens. Although many Commonwealth nations were formerly in the British Empire, their association in the organisation is free and voluntary with each country recognised as an equal member.
To commemorate the day, Nigeria’s Federal Government had called on the Education Ministry at the subnational level to encourage their pupils and students to mark the Day for the promotion of tolerance, respect, understanding, and moderation which are necessary values for peace, prosperity, and democracy. The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, briefed newsmen in Abuja on activities lined up for the commemoration of the 2023 Commonwealth Day.
He said Nigeria would always continue to maximise the dividends of being part of the supportive community of 56 member nations across Africa, Asia, America, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Pacific. However, we are hoping that the commemoration was not only a Federal Government affair. And that his ministry requested the management of the respective state Education Ministry nationwide to equally put in place programmes in all their educational institutions to observe the Day.
Regrettably, the Commonwealth as currently constituted is not a particularly effective organisation. Membership carries few economic benefits. The lack of consistent comparative data on trade costs, and the wide variations in the extent to which Commonwealth countries trade with fellow members, make it very difficult to prove the existence of this ‘advantage’. Furthermore, its record in enforcing adherence to human rights and democracy is far from impressive.
In 2013, the organisation adopted a charter full of laudable aspirations about justice, democracy and human rights. As such, membership signals to the broader international community that countries share those aspirations. Yet, the Commonwealth took no action when in January 2021, long-serving Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, clung to power after a deeply flawed electoral process. Similarly, Paul Kagame of Rwanda hosted the heads of government meeting despite repeated signs that he is intolerant of opposition.
Other repressive regimes have found the Commonwealth a useful mechanism for ‘reputation laundering’. In 2013, President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka hosted the Commonwealth summit. At the time, his government stood accused of presiding over war crimes in the country’s bloody civil war. In hosting the heads of government meeting, he hoped that the Commonwealth’s benign image would distract attention from the accusations.
It had been suggested that Brexit would deepen economic ties with Commonwealth members in Africa. But a recent trade summit between the United Kingdom and African countries produced very little. This, plus the pandemic, has taken the shine off some earlier predictions of a boom in UK-African trade. Meanwhile, the secretariat itself and its development arm have seen their budgets slashed in recent years. Donors have withdrawn or withheld funding in some very public displays of no-confidence in the leadership of the current secretary-general, Patricia Scotland.
However, something is endearing about the Commonwealth, whose biennial Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) took place in Kigali, Rwanda. Despite its history as the baby of a long-dead empire, and the very many challenges that it has faced over the years, it continues to thrive. In achieving this feat, a key feature has been its constant reinvention. The latest of this is the admission of Gabon and Togo, two Francophone countries with no historical ties to Britain, into the organisation in 2022.
The Commonwealth has scored tremendous successes traversing the realms of education, capacity building, development, economics, bilateral and multilateral trade, legal education, cultural and sporting links plus human rights and the rule of law. Noteworthy is how the body promptly suspended Nigeria following the summary execution of the human rights activist, the Ogoni-born, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his colleagues, under the military junta of late General Sani Abacha in 1995.
Notwithstanding, the Commonwealth still has so much more to do, and its future relevance will depend on how it manages to navigate the key issues of this century. One of these is the leadership of the organisation. Since its inception in 1949, the position has been held by the head of the British Monarchy. In 2018, Prince Charles was designated as the successor to Queen Elizabeth II, who had held the position since 1952. But as it expands membership beyond the original “British Empire”, the body must decide if its historical origin and tradition outweigh the precepts of democracy, equity, and equality in choosing its leadership.
Beyond the challenges, there are opportunities. Following Brexit, Britain has been reactivating alliances and partnerships across the world under its “Global Britain” strategy. It seeks to fill the gigantic gap that Brexit has opened up, and Commonwealth members come into play here. Hence, the organisation must re-ignite its presence in global and diplomatic affairs. One way to play this role effectively is by mediating Britain’s renewed interest and engagements with the less endowed member states so that the benefits are mutual. It must not allow the Commonwealth to be used as cannon fodder to benefit only its major economies.