I was just thinking, USA, China and India with there population are doing great in the world. Looking at Europe with the Eurozone identity. What if Africa share same ideology for economic growth, better resource management, industrialization, security to mention a few. What can be the advantages and disadvantages. I think we can benefit from the wealth of resources we have. OAU , ECOWAS to me cannot achieve what Euro has achieved. What do u guys think.

This idea is the dream of the great Ghanaian nationalist, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and is my personal dream as well. I have travelled extensively in East, West and Southern Africa, and I am totally convinced that a political union of African States is the truly best vision for the development and emancipation of Africa. Such a union would instantly catapult Africa onto the global stage as one of the biggest nations in the world (by many indices, actually the biggest), with the greatest expanse of diverse cities and urban developments in any country on Earth. Th esynergies would be so great that I can predict that such a political union would become the world's leading super power within a space of the the 100 - 150 years.

There is no doubt that there will be challenges, but the challenges can be surmounted.

Fisrt off, I should say though, (and this is not as a matter of exclusionism or discrimination of any sort) - that this union will be best and most effectively delivered as a union of sub saharan African States. I say this because the Arabic North African States really do not have an African Identity. I refer to Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Algeria. These are actually Middle-East nations with a strong Middle-East Arabic identity. They merely happen to be on the African geographical space, but there is nothing African about them. Morocco actually applied to join the European Union in the eighties.

There is only one other nation that I will like to exclude at the initial stage: and that nation is South Africa. My reason is simple - I predict that they will not wish to join the union at the initial stage on account of their vastly superior development as compared to the rest of the union - this will give rise to a fear of massive immigration problems in terms of free movement of people. Thay may legitimately fear being over-crowded by immigrants, and this is actually already a problem for them within Africa such that procuring a South African visa has become more stringent than that for many nations of the world. However, as teh union progresses and waxes stronger economically and in terms of development, SA will come around, and indeed SA would be most welcome, and probably form the icing on teh cake.

In my next post I will make some suggestions as to how the union could work.

start with regional countries first. And yes ECOWAS can achieve what Euro has achieved.

Continuing from the above. It will have to start out as a very loose Confedracy. A confedration is a loose union of independent states in which only a few necessary common functions are ceded to the central (confederal) government. The confederate states mostly retain their indpendence and economy and identity.

At the inception, it must be a very loose confedracy. Then there will be time lines per decade for closer integration in certain key areas. At the commencement of the union, ONLY the following responsibilities will be ceded to the Confederate Government -

1. Defense

2. Foreign Affairs and Immigration

3. Aviation

4. Currency & Central Banking

There will be a free zone, free movement of goods and people and free settlement rights for all citizens of the confedracy. The Confederate government will handle a conjoined army, nay and airforce, as well as conjoined security and intelligence services. It is also necessary that the central govt will hadle such cross-continental matters as civil aviation and there shall be one Central Bank for Africa.

Certain cities lend themselves as easier and more natural capital cities. My suggestion will be that there will be a temporary capital city whilst a purpose built pan African master piece will gradually be built over the next 30 - 40 years as the capital of teh union. For the temporary capital, we should look to cities with appropriate infrastructure, and expanse of land, as well as excellent roads andties. Having travelled extensively in Africa, I believe I do not speak with Nigerian bias when I say that the best choice would be Abuja. .

What we need is a single currency is west Africa, based on gold.

Arosa:

start with regional countries first. And yes ECOWAS can achieve what Euro has achieved.

And what has the Euro achieved? Greece defaulting loans up to $300b? Spain and Ireland Bankrupt? Italy fighting the same fate? Albania?Kosovo?


Lets not waste time on that.

Much better to create projects that link our economies together like international rail links.
Imagine a rail link connecting Ecowas coastal towns.
Imagine shared water and power schemes.
Imagine single currencies.
Imagine multilateral border policing agreements.
Imagine joint economic tariffs.
Imagine a single massive regional stock exchange.

all those are more realistic and useful than Ghadaffi's daydream. I for one have no wish to be stuck in the same nation with the rest of africa.

It is normal for nigerians to keep thirsting for world domination ignoring the fact that our policies should always have as purpose the eternal and enduring welfare of the average nigerian.

how will such political experimentation benefit the average nigerian who cant even enjoy a good life in his own nation talkless a super-national entity like you propose.

Leave world domination for now and pray for a world-class country.