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Momodou
Denmark
11826 Posts |
 Posted - 02 Jul 2007 : 21:46:23
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Foroyaa Editorial
WHOSE AFRICA? WHOSE GOVERNMENT?
WHOSE STATE?
THE GRAND DEBATE ON AFRCAN UNITY
Since 2005, the question of building a union government had been on the agenda. Seven heads of state, were mandated by the 6 ordinary session to prepare proposals on the feasibility or otherwise of establishing a Union Government for Africa. The Committee of Seven Heads of State finished their work and submitted a report to the 7th Session of the Assembly held in Banjul in July 2006. The study concluded that the establishment of a union government was feasible and made recommendations that it is put into operation by 2015. The report referred to as the Banjul Report is entitled.
“A Union Government TOWARDS THE BUILDING OF A “UNITED STATES OF AFRICA.”
The report has been reviewed by governments. During the 8th ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State held in Addis Ababa the Heads of State agreed that the 9th Ordinary Session scheduled to be held Ghana should be devoted exclusively to the Grand Debate regarding the founding of a Union Government for Africa.
Prior to the debate some media houses have been giving the issue a one sided coverage. Some even give the impression that the Agenda in Ghana is Qaddafi’s agenda. This following is a verbatim quotation from one media report: “The African Union Summit has opened in Accra, Ghana, focusing this year on the idea of a Pan African government. Libya’s Colonel Muammar Qaddafi is championing the idea, but correspondents say many African leaders do not support his initiative.”
Such news items are being read verbatim by some state media establishments.
It is important to point out that the states that form the United States of America did not wait until all of them were developed to be united. They did not wait until all of them were equal in level of development to be united. They did not wait until there was an end to civil war among themselves to unite. They pursued unity as a means to promoting the pulling up of resources to develop human and institutional capacities to address the problems of poverty and political marginalization of smaller states. Africa must unite to put an end to centuries of impoverishment, marginalization and domination.
Hence the task before all those who want the people of Africa to live in liberty, dignity and prosperity is to take part in the grand debate to determine whether it is feasible for Africa to unite now or not. If so, the obstacles we have to overcome to realise our objectives must be identified and addressed.
Foroyaa will open up the debate after the summit so that our readers will also take part in this grand debate of the millennium. Africa needs a critical mass. That is not achieved by simply dismissing issues by claiming that wars or tyrants will not allow a noble idea to come to fruition as if it is the colonialists who allowed Independence to be gained. As the old saying goes, Necessity is the mother of invention. Necessity demands that we develop a New Africa to survive and prosper.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 76/007, 2 – 3 July 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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