Lagos Plan of Action

Lagos Plan of Action
Name	Lagos Plan of Action
Adopted	1980
Location	Lagos
Convened by	Organization of African Unity
Key documents	Final Act of Lagos Conference
Region	Africa
Related	Charter of the OAU, Monrovia Strategy

Lagos Plan of Action was a strategic blueprint adopted in 1980 by representatives of African states at a conference in Lagos under the auspices of the Organization of African Unity to promote self-reliant development across Africa. The plan proposed region-wide industrialization, agricultural transformation, trade integration, and scientific cooperation to reduce dependency on United Nations agencies, former colonial powers such as France and United Kingdom, and external financial institutions including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. It became a focal point for debates among leaders from Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Senegal, and Egypt about pathways to structural change in the face of global economic crisis and Cold War geopolitics involving United States and Soviet Union interests in Africa.

Background and context

The Lagos meeting followed a period marked by the 1973–1974 Oil crisis and the 1979 Energy crisis, rising commodity price volatility affecting exporters such as Zambia and Gabon, and the emergence of development thinking influenced by actors like Dependency theory proponents and economists associated with UNCTAD and the ECA. Post-independence state-building efforts in countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Algeria, and Mozambique had confronted structural imbalances shaped by colonial-era infrastructure laid down by British Empire and French colonial empire extractive networks. The Lagos gathering sought to respond to constraints highlighted by leaders such as Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah (in historical reference), and contemporaries like Olusegun Obasanjo and Shehu Shagari about pan-African industrial and trade strategies.

Objectives and principles

The plan articulated objectives to accelerate industrialization in regions such as the Maghreb and West Africa, to diversify exports beyond commodities concentrated in countries like Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria, and to foster technological capacities akin to initiatives seen in South Korea and Japan. Principles included collective self-reliance inspired by pan-Africanist thought from figures associated with the Pan-African Congress and organizational legacies like the Organisation of African Unity. It emphasized intra-African trade integration citing models from European Economic Community experiences and called for coordinated policies among blocs including the Economic Community of West African States and the Southern African Development Coordination Conference.

Key program areas and initiatives

Program areas covered agricultural modernization in contexts such as the Sahel and the Great Rift Valley, industrial projects including regional steel, fertilizer, and textile complexes modeled after plants in Soweto-era South African provinces and planned economies in Algeria. It proposed establishment of technological and scientific networks linking institutions such as the University of Ibadan, Makerere University, University of Nairobi, and research bodies akin to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and African Development Bank-supported programs. Trade policy measures recommended preferential tariffs among members similar to arrangements in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade debates and creation of commodity buffers for coffee, cocoa, and cotton exporters drawing on precedents from the International Coffee Organization and International Cocoa Organization.

Implementation and institutional framework

The plan envisioned institutional backing through the Organization of African Unity secretariat, regional economic communities like the ECOWAS, the ECCAS, and financial mechanisms involving the African Development Bank and proposed continental funds echoing concepts from the United Nations Development Programme. Coordination was to occur via technical committees composed of ministers from Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, and others, and through collaboration with research centers such as the Institute of African Studies and development agencies like Overseas Development Administration in historical partnership formats.

Reception and impact

Initial reception among heads of state and ruling parties in countries including Gabon, Liberia, Mauritius, and Morocco was cautiously positive, while multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund were more reserved. The plan influenced national strategies in Ghana under policy shifts and informed debates at subsequent continental summits including the African Union predecessor discussions and the Monrovia Conference for coordination of development policies. Practical impact included stimulation of regional project proposals, heightened emphasis on industrial policies in Nigeria and agricultural programs in Egypt and Ethiopia, and discourse shifts within UNCTAD forums.

Criticism and challenges

Critics from advocates of market-oriented reforms linked to the Washington Consensus and advisers from institutions like the International Monetary Fund argued the plan underestimated fiscal constraints and overestimated administrative capacities in states such as Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Angola. Operational difficulties arose from limited financing, conflicting national priorities among members like South Africa (then under Apartheid), weak intra-African transport networks inherited from colonial railways connecting Dakar to Niger River corridors, and competing Cold War alignments involving Cuba and Soviet Union support in parts of southern Africa. Academic commentators drawing on research from Harvard University, University of Oxford, and Cornell University noted gaps between visionary targets and implementation mechanisms.

Legacy and influence on African development policy

Despite uneven implementation, the Lagos blueprint contributed to later initiatives including the Treaty of Abuja, establishment of the African Union, the revival of regional economic communities like COMESA, and contemporary frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area. Its emphasis on industrialization, technology transfer, and intra-African cooperation resonated in policy documents by the African Development Bank and debates at the United Nations General Assembly and World Trade Organization. The plan remains a reference point in studies at institutions like Institute of Development Studies and in policy circles in capitals from Accra to Addis Ababa for discussions on sovereignty, development financing, and pan-African integration.

Category:Economy of Africa Category:History of Africa