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AFRICA TO UNITE BUT NOT IMMEDIATELY
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| Rwanda’s Paul Kigame |
Nigeria’s Musa Yaradua |
Republic of Congo’s Sassou-Nguesso |
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AFRICAN LEADERS at the recently ended African Union summit in Accra have declared their support to gradually move towards the full integration of the continent now made up of 54 independent countries into a single United States of Africa.
With leaders such as Libya's Muammur Gaddafi, Senegal's Abdoulaye Wade, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe campaigning for a swift African Union government as touted by visionaries such as the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
But the majority of leaders such as South Africa's Thabo Mbeki, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni and Ghana's John Kufour were reported to be backing the cautious integration within the shortest possible time. With regional blocs such the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) the East African Community (EAC) and the South African Development community (SADC) already championing regional integration it was of the view of the majority of states to strengthen allow a little bit more time for these regional groups by harmonizing their activities all geared towards a common African market.
Uganda's Yoweri Museveni who favours a very cautious integration because of problems he envisaged said "Insisting on political integration at the continental level will bring together incompatible linkages that may create tension rather than cohesion"
The leaders also resolved to establish a ministerial committee to , among other things, examine the identification of the continents of the union government concept and its relations with natural government as well as the domains of competence and the impart of establishment of the union government on the sovereignty of member states.
Again, the committee will identify additional sources of financing the activities of the union government. The leaders said the outcome of the audit and the work of the ministerial committee would be submitted to the Executive Council to make appropriate recommendations to the next ordinary session of the AU.
The leaders recognized the importance of involving the people of Africa, including Africans in the Diaspora, in the processes leading to the formation of the union government.
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