BY DYLAN CHAWAWA THE creation of African Union (AU), beginning with its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, was styled on the European Union model. The AU initiated the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights and plans to have a single currency. Yes, to date the organisation has made a huge progress but there is a lot which has to be done so as to attain its vision 2063. AU should try by all means to fashion itself in a way which will help it attain sustainable development and get an influential seat in the international community. It is clear that the organisation is reading from a script full of cracks and a script which lacks some links. The AU must think of a paradigm shift from the wretched paper. The EU script was fashioned by objectives which suit Europe, and not Africa. Africa is full of technocrats who must come up with an Africa-styled script. This will just show the world that even here, we can come up with our new concepts. The Euro-crisis is a solid reason why Africa should think of a paradigm shift from the script which is in the midst of chaos. Even though Europe had already developed, the single currency system led to a sudden shake and economies like Greece suffered some blows. Many parts of Africa are in a process of developing, a small part is roaring and this shows that a single monetary system is not feasible. BREXIT should not just be a mere shock to AU, but it should send signals that the model we are using should be revised. If we revisit the model we are using, we can come up with something good for our own development, and this will make the continent be regarded as a hub of thinkers and we will actually grab an influential international seat. AU can manage an influential position in the international community only if it comes up with an integration plan driven by the needs of the continent. The Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is an agreement which aims at promoting intra-trade and creating an atmosphere for industrialisation and sustainable development in line with the continent’s vision. The AfCFTA is an integration plan for addressing key issues, but more has to be added on the chart. A lot is affecting the realisation of full potential of the trade area for example, the shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from other blocks. There is need to come up with effective mechanism which can for see future pandemics which are a threat to security such as coronavirus and Ebola. Coronavirus is a clear acid test for the AU, a test the organisation has scored good average points, but more has to be done so that we can come up with even our own effective responses in the future. More investments should be done in the technology sector so that we can unlock the continent’s potential. Food security is a plan the AU should try to meet. The organisation should engage and collaborate with countries like Zimbabwe, which have the capacity of being the breadbasket of the whole continent, so that food issues can be met. If the AU tackles these issues, the international world will surely r