Powered by iSOUND.COM The Time of History is NOW! The Formation of: A United States of Africa USA for USAfrica: The Coalition for African Unification… Africa Must Unite - When Will Africa Unite? Africa's leaders and the African Union MUST NOT BE AFRAID to unite as one nation and declare themselves a United States of Africa. Our Mandate: The formation of a United States of Africa must immediately be brought into public debate worldwide and among Africans themselves. Bono wants United States of Africa UNITED STATES OF AFRICA PLANUploaded by neverknwo Pop star and activist Bono has called for the creation of a United States of Africa, saying that a pan-continental identity would serve as a catalyst for resolving its conflicts. The U2 frontman, who was in Japan to take part in a major development conference last week, said that a United States of Africa "would be the dream" in the long term. "I think a kind of broader African identity is going to be very important to deal with tribal tensions," The Irish rock star said that developing a broader identity may seem largely "poetic," but has been proven successful. "Irish people used to always have a little giggle when they would see Americans saluting their flags in schools, and then the whole standing there, singing the flag thing," Bono said. "But as you get to know a little bit more about things, you start to think, ah, there's so many different tribal groups in the United States, that to create a national identity of that size, they had to really work at this kind of patriotism," he said. The African Union was created in 2002 with inspiration from the European Union, but critics say the body has lacked the funds and political will to take effective action on the continent's flashpoints. It intervened in 2004 in the strife-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur, but has relinquished leadership to the United Nations to form a joint peacekeeping force. Let your Business or Humanitarian Message make History... Place Your Ad Here July 1-3 African Heads of State and Government met in Accra, Ghana for the 9th Ordinary Summit of the African Union. The item on the agenda was the United States of Africa: the formation of a single government in Africa. Muammar Gaddafi traveled by road, visiting several West African states to garner support. African bloggers were not silent about the summit and the idea of creating a United States of Africa. Grandiose Parlor wonders about Gaddafi's motives in pushing for a United States of Africa: While many bloggers doubt the possibility of a United State of Africa, Branded, writing from Nairobi, Kenya, declares on his blog, Business In Focus, “the United States of Africa is already here.” He specifically looks at two elements to make his point: trade and information technology. For example, he notes that the mobile phone company operating in East Africa, Celtel, has allowed its customers in the region to operate in a single network at existing local rates. Benin Mwangi: The proposal to officially create a United States of Africa may not have come at a better time than now when international trade is dictating the pace of development thanks to technological innovation. You may not have noticed but recent trends indicate that the United States of Africa is already here. Through various communication technologies, Africa has transformed into a large business unit. Mobile telephony has also been on the increase in the continent and is showing higher prospects for further growth supported mainly by increased need for global business communication. Mobile telephone service providers are embracing regional integration by converging their operations into single seamless networks ostensibly to improve access and lower the overall cost of international roaming. A good example is Celtel, whose operations in East and Central Africa are now seamlessly converged into one network that allows international roaming at existing local rates. Armed with your mobile telephone and a laptop, you can work from virtually anywhere. Banking and other financial services are on the growth path with indigenous African banks opening up branches in regions where they were not allowed to operate before. For instance, Standard bank South Africa recently merged with CFC Bank Kenya to support their growth in East Africa. Foreign direct investments have also been on the increase within the continent thanks to technological innovation that allows all operations to be centralised. He finishes his post by arguing that many iniatiatives to build regional blocks have failed except for trade alliances because of its direct influence in economic development: Looking at history, various regional blocking in Africa have failed to meet their mandate due to various reasons mostly political. Only trade has been self-sustaining because of its direct influence in economic development. If the idea of creating a United States of Africa is to create wealth, then we may argue that it is already here. What Africa needs is to strengthen existing structures, invest more in ICT and establish structures that support international trade and wealth creation through value addition. Writing at AfricanLoft, Ugo Daniels sees the path to a Federation of African States as the most realist and practical path for Africa: I want to say three things. First, yes, African countries should definitely unite. But an African ‘united states’ is not possible. Too much ego stands in the way, too many regional interests, and also outside interference would prevent it. Would the USA want to see a truly united Africa? Would the leaders of northern African countries, [with the notable and admirable exception of President Ghadaffi], who admit to being African only when they need votes at the UN or for some other geo-political purposes, want a United Africa? I doubt it!! So let us be realistic and practical and think of a Federation of African States along the lines of the European Union. And we should get on with it now. Right now!!! Current African leaders are far lesser men that the African leaders who fought for independence… Nyerere had the guts to invade Uganda to get rid of the homicidal maniac, Idi Amin. I have nothing but contempt for most of today’s African leaders who specialize in getting rich, attending international conferences and making fine speeches - the blood of the victims of the Darfur holocaust is also on their hands as because they won’t intervene overtly or covertly to save their black brothers and sisters. No Deal on "United States of Africa" July 05, 2007 - 02:34 ACCRA — A much-touted African summit for forming the "United States of Africa" concluded Wednesday, July 4, without any agreement on a firm timetable to establish a continental government. "Clearly, we're not there yet," Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was quoted by Reuters as saying following the meeting. "It's a step forward but we're still a long way off." Deep divisions overshadowed the three-day summit over Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's call for establishing an AU government with common defense and foreign policies by the start of next year. Kadhafi, backed by Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade, argued that Africa needed to speak and act as one in a globalized world. But opponents favored a gradual approach towards integration, following the European model of achieving economic integration before closer political union. "It's not a revolution we are invoking so we cannot give you a timeline," said host Ghanaian President John Kufuor. In the absence of any timetable, Kufuor announced an audit of the current executive body, the African Union commission, and the commissioning of four studies on the prospects of a new government. "Africa shall evolve," he said. One of the studies will focus on "the contents of the union government concept and its relations with national governments". Another study will examine the union government's "domains of competence and impact ... on sovereignty". The other studies will concentrate on the "elaboration of a road map and timeframe for establishing the union government" and how such a project would be funded. Rushed Many analysts believe that the formation of an African continental government was a too far step as deep differences still exist among the 53-nation African Union. "The tensions were very serious, the political battle lines were drawn," Professor Chris Landsberg, director of the Centre for Policy Studies in Johannesburg, told Reuters. "It was about the continental influence of ambitious leaders." Terence Corrigan of the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg, agreed. "The United States of Africa has immense emotional appeal but as a political program it does not have an enormous amount of traction," he told AFP. "Among countries like South Africa there's a realization, which they are reluctant to express too loudly, that you have a big gulf in terms of economic development and political cultures which militates against the rush towards a union government. "You also have the competing tradition within Africa that the notion of sovereignty is a very powerful one." Ludeki Chweya, a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, said many African leaders want to give the AU more time to prove its worth. "I think there's scepticism among some leaders because the matter has come up too suddenly," he said. "It seems to me that it was a bit rushed." The AU was declared only five years ago as an improved version of the Organization of African Union. However its failure at the last summit to persuade anyone but Uganda to send troops on a peacekeeping mission to Somalia has underlined shortcomings that critics say can only be overcome with a common foreign and defense policy. The Cameroonian writer and activist, Mwalimu George Ngwane, argues that while the political and economic trajectories of African integration have been developed, the cultural component has not been explored, “…this has undermined the quest for an African citizenship through a common language, a pan-African media organ, a revised and harmonised education system, and a return to the organic concept of co-existence and cooperation as it obtained before individualism and exclusion became our new mantra.” According to Ngwane, Africa should try a voluntary approach to forming a single government: I, therefore, propose that if the Accra July summit fails to achieve a minimum consensus on the African Union government now, then we should abandon the holistic approach of trying to get all African countries to accept the one-off continental version and embark on the voluntary approach which requires countries or regions that are prepared to create a United States of Africa, to come together as nucleus members like it was in 1961 among Ghana, Guinea and Mali. And when other citizens shall see the benefits accruing from these core members, they shall oblige their governments into associating with the United Africa architecture. Uganda: Yes, We Are Not Yet Ready for One Africa Jul 6th, 2007 by balkan allAfrica A rare show of rational thought and expression of ideas was evident in the just-concluded African Union Summit in Accra, Ghana. The idea of a United States of Africa, as was promoted by certain leaders, considering the present state of the continent’s collective health, is not advisable. We have just too many issues to deal with as individual countries first before we can explore the exciting prospect of going continental. Our political forefathers had toyed with this very idea in the heady days of Ghana’s founding father, Kwame Nkrumah, but Africa was not yet ready. There were certain external interests that were ranged against us at the time for mainly selfish reasons. Some of those interests are still alive today and would be happy to see us stumble into a political federation without the necessary preparation. It is telling that our leaders in Accra were able to agree to the formation of committee that will among others, investigate the concept of a union government; its domains of competence and the impact of of its establishment on the sovereignty of member states. Brilliant idea, although the more fanatical Pan-Africanist might want to believe that dream has been killed this way. The United States of AFRICA!!… Heard about it before?? July 2nd, 2007 Yeah, Kwame Nkrumah was the first one who envisioned a united Africa. And this idea of a continental government for Africa has its roots well firmed during the independence era 50 odd years ago. And now this fully-fledged tree of unity and oneness seems to be taking an appropriate shape. It’s now Libya’s flamboyant Colonel Muammar Gaddafi busy beating the same US of Africa drum, championing the cause and mobilizing support with his pan-African road show that recently swept through West Africa. Ghana’s capital is filling up with the great and the good (and the not so great and not so good) for the African Union summit. But doesn’t it all sound like “Plenty of talk - but what action?” syndrome? There’s always a huge build up and some excitement, as well as a great deal of cynicism, before these summits. If Africa is still trying to resolve the basic problems, like the summit organizers are still discreetly having to separate two Horn of Africa neighbors, two enemies namely Eritrea and Ethiopia, what hope then for a United States of the continent, speaking with one voice to the world? What about a little African unity first? Illustrious Africans, such as the veteran anti-apartheid campaigner and legendary trumpeter, Hugh Masekela, joined forces with civil society activists in Accra, to say Africa must first deal with its crises and conflicts. The United States of Africa comes later. It seems most African Union countries are not ready to rush headlong into the creation of a continental government just yet. But that’s the top item on the agenda in Accra. And, one may even look forward to an expected debate as to who then would become that first President of Africa? Will this idea of one government, one army, one everything for the continent, fly? Let’s wait and watch! via bbc Africa: Youssou N'Dour Promotes Pan-African Vision Email This Page Print This Page allAfrica.com INTERVIEW 3 July 2007 Posted to the web 3 July 2007 Aliou Goloko Youssou N'Dour has been named by Time, the American news magazine, as one of 100 men and women whose talent is transforming the world. As the Senegalese superstar's fame and influence reaches new heights, he is also articulating for the first time a Panafrican political leadership ambition. Last week he was reported as announcing his availability as a candidate to become the first prime minister of a United States of Africa. In this exclusive interview with allAfrica.com, N'Dour paints his vision of a unified and industrious Africa, an issue currently the subject of debate at the African Union Summit in Accra.
The Formation of:
A United States of Africa
Africa Must Unite - When Will Africa Unite?
Bono wants United States of Africa
Let your Business or Humanitarian Message make History... Place Your Ad Here
African bloggers were not silent about the summit and the idea of creating a United States of Africa.
Grandiose Parlor wonders about Gaddafi's motives in pushing for a United States of Africa:
The proposal to officially create a United States of Africa may not have come at a better time than now when international trade is dictating the pace of development thanks to technological innovation. You may not have noticed but recent trends indicate that the United States of Africa is already here. Through various communication technologies, Africa has transformed into a large business unit. Mobile telephony has also been on the increase in the continent and is showing higher prospects for further growth supported mainly by increased need for global business communication. Mobile telephone service providers are embracing regional integration by converging their operations into single seamless networks ostensibly to improve access and lower the overall cost of international roaming. A good example is Celtel, whose operations in East and Central Africa are now seamlessly converged into one network that allows international roaming at existing local rates. Armed with your mobile telephone and a laptop, you can work from virtually anywhere. Banking and other financial services are on the growth path with indigenous African banks opening up branches in regions where they were not allowed to operate before. For instance, Standard bank South Africa recently merged with CFC Bank Kenya to support their growth in East Africa. Foreign direct investments have also been on the increase within the continent thanks to technological innovation that allows all operations to be centralised. He finishes his post by arguing that many iniatiatives to build regional blocks have failed except for trade alliances because of its direct influence in economic development: Looking at history, various regional blocking in Africa have failed to meet their mandate due to various reasons mostly political. Only trade has been self-sustaining because of its direct influence in economic development. If the idea of creating a United States of Africa is to create wealth, then we may argue that it is already here. What Africa needs is to strengthen existing structures, invest more in ICT and establish structures that support international trade and wealth creation through value addition.
The proposal to officially create a United States of Africa may not have come at a better time than now when international trade is dictating the pace of development thanks to technological innovation. You may not have noticed but recent trends indicate that the United States of Africa is already here. Through various communication technologies, Africa has transformed into a large business unit.
Mobile telephony has also been on the increase in the continent and is showing higher prospects for further growth supported mainly by increased need for global business communication. Mobile telephone service providers are embracing regional integration by converging their operations into single seamless networks ostensibly to improve access and lower the overall cost of international roaming. A good example is Celtel, whose operations in East and Central Africa are now seamlessly converged into one network that allows international roaming at existing local rates. Armed with your mobile telephone and a laptop, you can work from virtually anywhere.
Banking and other financial services are on the growth path with indigenous African banks opening up branches in regions where they were not allowed to operate before. For instance, Standard bank South Africa recently merged with CFC Bank Kenya to support their growth in East Africa. Foreign direct investments have also been on the increase within the continent thanks to technological innovation that allows all operations to be centralised. He finishes his post by arguing that many iniatiatives to build regional blocks have failed except for trade alliances because of its direct influence in economic development:
Looking at history, various regional blocking in Africa have failed to meet their mandate due to various reasons mostly political. Only trade has been self-sustaining because of its direct influence in economic development. If the idea of creating a United States of Africa is to create wealth, then we may argue that it is already here. What Africa needs is to strengthen existing structures, invest more in ICT and establish structures that support international trade and wealth creation through value addition.
I want to say three things. First, yes, African countries should definitely unite. But an African ‘united states’ is not possible. Too much ego stands in the way, too many regional interests, and also outside interference would prevent it. Would the USA want to see a truly united Africa? Would the leaders of northern African countries, [with the notable and admirable exception of President Ghadaffi], who admit to being African only when they need votes at the UN or for some other geo-political purposes, want a United Africa? I doubt it!! So let us be realistic and practical and think of a Federation of African States along the lines of the European Union. And we should get on with it now. Right now!!! Current African leaders are far lesser men that the African leaders who fought for independence… Nyerere had the guts to invade Uganda to get rid of the homicidal maniac, Idi Amin. I have nothing but contempt for most of today’s African leaders who specialize in getting rich, attending international conferences and making fine speeches - the blood of the victims of the Darfur holocaust is also on their hands as because they won’t intervene overtly or covertly to save their black brothers and sisters.
No Deal on "United States of Africa" July 05, 2007 - 02:34
ACCRA — A much-touted African summit for forming the "United States of Africa" concluded Wednesday, July 4, without any agreement on a firm timetable to establish a continental government.
"Clearly, we're not there yet," Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was quoted by Reuters as saying following the meeting.
"It's a step forward but we're still a long way off."
Deep divisions overshadowed the three-day summit over Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's call for establishing an AU government with common defense and foreign policies by the start of next year.
Kadhafi, backed by Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade, argued that Africa needed to speak and act as one in a globalized world.
But opponents favored a gradual approach towards integration, following the European model of achieving economic integration before closer political union.
"It's not a revolution we are invoking so we cannot give you a timeline," said host Ghanaian President John Kufuor.
In the absence of any timetable, Kufuor announced an audit of the current executive body, the African Union commission, and the commissioning of four studies on the prospects of a new government.
"Africa shall evolve," he said.
One of the studies will focus on "the contents of the union government concept and its relations with national governments".
Another study will examine the union government's "domains of competence and impact ... on sovereignty".
The other studies will concentrate on the "elaboration of a road map and timeframe for establishing the union government" and how such a project would be funded.
Rushed
Many analysts believe that the formation of an African continental government was a too far step as deep differences still exist among the 53-nation African Union.
"The tensions were very serious, the political battle lines were drawn," Professor Chris Landsberg, director of the Centre for Policy Studies in Johannesburg, told Reuters.
"It was about the continental influence of ambitious leaders."
Terence Corrigan of the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg, agreed.
"The United States of Africa has immense emotional appeal but as a political program it does not have an enormous amount of traction," he told AFP.
"Among countries like South Africa there's a realization, which they are reluctant to express too loudly, that you have a big gulf in terms of economic development and political cultures which militates against the rush towards a union government.
"You also have the competing tradition within Africa that the notion of sovereignty is a very powerful one."
Ludeki Chweya, a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, said many African leaders want to give the AU more time to prove its worth.
"I think there's scepticism among some leaders because the matter has come up too suddenly," he said.
"It seems to me that it was a bit rushed."
The AU was declared only five years ago as an improved version of the Organization of African Union.
However its failure at the last summit to persuade anyone but Uganda to send troops on a peacekeeping mission to Somalia has underlined shortcomings that critics say can only be overcome with a common foreign and defense policy.
According to Ngwane, Africa should try a voluntary approach to forming a single government:
Jul 6th, 2007 by balkan
allAfrica
A rare show of rational thought and expression of ideas was evident in the just-concluded African Union Summit in Accra, Ghana. The idea of a United States of Africa, as was promoted by certain leaders, considering the present state of the continent’s collective health, is not advisable. We have just too many issues to deal with as individual countries first before we can explore the exciting prospect of going continental. Our political forefathers had toyed with this very idea in the heady days of Ghana’s founding father, Kwame Nkrumah, but Africa was not yet ready. There were certain external interests that were ranged against us at the time for mainly selfish reasons. Some of those interests are still alive today and would be happy to see us stumble into a political federation without the necessary preparation. It is telling that our leaders in Accra were able to agree to the formation of committee that will among others, investigate the concept of a union government; its domains of competence and the impact of of its establishment on the sovereignty of member states. Brilliant idea, although the more fanatical Pan-Africanist might want to believe that dream has been killed this way.
A rare show of rational thought and expression of ideas was evident in the just-concluded African Union Summit in Accra, Ghana. The idea of a United States of Africa, as was promoted by certain leaders, considering the present state of the continent’s collective health, is not advisable.
We have just too many issues to deal with as individual countries first before we can explore the exciting prospect of going continental. Our political forefathers had toyed with this very idea in the heady days of Ghana’s founding father, Kwame Nkrumah, but Africa was not yet ready.
There were certain external interests that were ranged against us at the time for mainly selfish reasons. Some of those interests are still alive today and would be happy to see us stumble into a political federation without the necessary preparation.
It is telling that our leaders in Accra were able to agree to the formation of committee that will among others, investigate the concept of a union government; its domains of competence and the impact of of its establishment on the sovereignty of member states. Brilliant idea, although the more fanatical Pan-Africanist might want to believe that dream has been killed this way.
Yeah, Kwame Nkrumah was the first one who envisioned a united Africa. And this idea of a continental government for Africa has its roots well firmed during the independence era 50 odd years ago.
And now this fully-fledged tree of unity and oneness seems to be taking an appropriate shape. It’s now Libya’s flamboyant Colonel Muammar Gaddafi busy beating the same US of Africa drum, championing the cause and mobilizing support with his pan-African road show that recently swept through West Africa.
Ghana’s capital is filling up with the great and the good (and the not so great and not so good) for the African Union summit.
But doesn’t it all sound like “Plenty of talk - but what action?” syndrome? There’s always a huge build up and some excitement, as well as a great deal of cynicism, before these summits.
If Africa is still trying to resolve the basic problems, like the summit organizers are still discreetly having to separate two Horn of Africa neighbors, two enemies namely Eritrea and Ethiopia, what hope then for a United States of the continent, speaking with one voice to the world? What about a little African unity first?
Illustrious Africans, such as the veteran anti-apartheid campaigner and legendary trumpeter, Hugh Masekela, joined forces with civil society activists in Accra, to say Africa must first deal with its crises and conflicts. The United States of Africa comes later.
It seems most African Union countries are not ready to rush headlong into the creation of a continental government just yet. But that’s the top item on the agenda in Accra.
And, one may even look forward to an expected debate as to who then would become that first President of Africa?
Will this idea of one government, one army, one everything for the continent, fly? Let’s wait and watch!
via bbc
Africa: Youssou N'Dour Promotes Pan-African Vision
Email This Page Print This Page
allAfrica.com
INTERVIEW 3 July 2007 Posted to the web 3 July 2007
Aliou Goloko
Youssou N'Dour has been named by Time, the American news magazine, as one of 100 men and women whose talent is transforming the world. As the Senegalese superstar's fame and influence reaches new heights, he is also articulating for the first time a Panafrican political leadership ambition.
Last week he was reported as announcing his availability as a candidate to become the first prime minister of a United States of Africa. In this exclusive interview with allAfrica.com, N'Dour paints his vision of a unified and industrious Africa, an issue currently the subject of debate at the African Union Summit in Accra.