This week, The Fifth Conference of African Ministers in charge of Integration meets in Nairobi, Kenya under the auspices of the African Union Commission to put the Integration agenda back on track. 

The meeting comes in the backdrop of divisions in the Africa Union on how to intervene during member state internal conflicts; to evolve a common stand during external aggression and how to eradicate perennial famine episodes in Africa. The Union's inability to develop policies that are popular with the majority as opposed to the appearance to be safeguarding the interests of ruling elites make it unpopular among Africans. The ordinary Africans finds themselves seeking other avenues to articulate and bring to fruition their aspirations. 

The African Union leadership may well be aware of the dark cloud that now hangs over the continent as global systems adjust to sustain their dominance. Unless they articulate clearly to their members (ordinary Africans); they may find themselves irrelevant. The Union stands a better chance to restore the continent's lost socio-political and economic glory by connecting with the aspirations of the ordinary Africans. 

With developed and emerging economies making inroads into the continent, there is need the African Union to ensure a deeper integration to leverage Africa's collective bargaining power in international systems (christened as "Global Jungle"). The council of ministers should design a framework that will guide management of regional public goods for the benefit of the citizenry. This forum should seek to position the AU as a strong, active and relevant voice of African people.