Trump’s war on Brics good news for Africa and quest for single currency

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If it is true that US President-elect Donald Trump has promised dire consequences should Brics countries go ahead to develop an alternative international trade medium to the US dollar, then Africa couldn’t have received sweeter Christmas music from the world superpower.

For what melody can be sweeter than getting a wake-up call from a guy who would ordinarily prefer you to remain asleep while he harvests your crops.

But before Africans celebrate, don’t rule out a clever plot by Brother Trump, who has already proved his deftness at his game, whether you love him or not.

It is not too farfetched that in a quest to make the mighty American even mightier, Donald Clever Trump can decide to create his own opposition so he can manage it by negotiation.

An opposition that creeps up on you can be quite unmanageable. Ask God, if you have forgotten the story of Satan. Somewhere in the holy books, we see God using Satan to test some of his good men. At other times, he sends Satan to beat the hell out of rebellious nations. It is because God created Satan.

So if you had ignored the moves by the African Union to create a continental unit of account thinking it was another feeble dream, remember strong people don’t leave anything to chance.

While Trump was out of office for four years, he must have been thinking hard at his philosophy of Maga – Making America Great Again. To do this, you don’t let sleeping giants wake up.

When they start stirring, point them to another confortable bed – Brics. Strong nations have always planted their agents in their rivals’ systems.

The Brics thing could be inspired by pro-US agents in the Brics countries. If the Brics currency thing takes off, some form of negotiation with the dollar system would be acceptable as a mark of civilised people setting rules of engagement.

It would be all the much harder for a third force to emerge. In fact, the poor countries, especially African ones would start choosing which system to align with, Brics or US dollar.

And as misgiving grow about the way some Brics lenders deal with defaulters, don’t be surprised if the dollar gets more followers.

But suppose President Trump’s anger at Brics is genuine, then it is Africa’s chance to become the unplanned opposition, rewinding the clock to six decades back when our parents believed in themselves, believed that Africa can be independent and thrive for the prosperity and benefit of its people.

Yes, the timing has never been better. With the world facing decline arising from environmental setbacks while Africa holds most of the materials required for planet-saving energy transition, the AU can promote some form of gold standard basing on the rare earth metal stocks. So as the US dollar battles the Brics currency, the African currency can also take root.

Is Africa exporting so much to America as to be scared of even the said 100 per cent tax in case of adopting a dollar alternative? There may not be much to lose.

So the AU should decide like yesterday to institute a single African currency to grow intra-continental trade without requiring foreign currency since the new currency would be the currency of each of the 54 states.

Let us all vote for the African central bank governor and the respective countries can keep their little governments for all we care.

The move would wipe out the silly non-tariff barriers that are making a mockery of the regional economic blocs, and the petty refusal to buy neighbours’ products would be mitigated by setting up a continental standards enforcement body.

Those countries that have set up e-mobility industries would not worry about market as customers all over the continent who have no cause to worship external powers would simply African e-vehicles as long as they meet the continental standards.

And people would be free to fly to any corner of the continent, which is currently banned through malicious fragmentation of the airspace.