By EFSCRJ
Today, 62 years after the founding of the African Union, the Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice calls on all Africans at home and abroad to rise. We call on Africans to rise against their governments, regional blocs, and continental institutions for failing to salvage Africa as promised, required, and necessary.
The deplorable situation in Africa today shows that Africa’s leaders, governments, and regional and continental bodies have failed to provide the people with the necessary good governance, sustainable development, shared prosperity, and dignity. As the most endowed region of the world with the most natural resources, Africans remain the poorest people on earth. Progress has contrasted insignificantly against extreme deprivation for over half a century, which persists due to a mix of historical, economic, and political factors. The current state of Africa is neither tenable nor sustainable. Africa must change. Now.
Since attaining independence, the state of Africa continues to be bound and influenced by relationships rooted in historical exploitation and colonial legacy. These legacies not only disrupted its traditional economies and developmental trajectory but also pinned the continent to the mercy of foreign extractive institutions, with artificial borders that have created ethnic divisions and fueled conflicts. In the final analysis, these legacies only enabled resource looting that continued to enrich foreign interests and local collaborators.
The continued perpetuation of these legacies in post-independent Africa lies squarely at the feet of weak governance and corruption. Across Africa, the mismanagement of resources such as oil, diamonds, and minerals often benefits elites rather than citizens. Corruption, which costs Africa nothing less than $148 billion per year, according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), persistently drains healthcare, education, and infrastructure funds. Due to this failure, the continent has dropped into a dependency syndrome exacerbated by unfair global trade, aid, and debt crises, perpetuating weak governance, thus entrenching poverty, deprivation, and conflict.
The effect of weak governance and corruption has led to the emergence of authoritarian regimes and perpetuated the greatest democratic backsliding on the continent since the 1960s. While military regimes litter the continent on the one hand, self-perpetuating rule by supposedly democratic governments is widespread on the other hand.
It is precisely due to the combined effect of weak governance and corruption that conflict and instability have become widespread and protracted across the continent, thereby triggering the increasing presence of foreign military bases in the name of fighting terrorism. This situation has served nothing other than further weakening and dividing the continent and intensifying the loot of its resources by foreign interests with their collaborators in African governments.
Africa holds a significant portion of the world’s mineral resources, making it a key player in global supply chains, especially for minerals critical to renewable energy and technology. Approximately 30% of the world’s mineral reserves are found in Africa. These include the platinum group of metals (Africa holds up to 90% of the world’s reserves), chromium (90%), cobalt (55%), manganese (54%), gold (40%), natural gas and oil (8%), diamonds (50%), uranium (15%), lithium (5-10%) and Rare Earth Elements (5% of global reserves but growing).
This is why Kwame Nkrumah had observed that,
“If Africa’s multiple resources were used in her development, they could place Africa among the most modernized continents of the world, but Africa’s resources are used for the development of overseas countries.”
Thus, Africa has the resources and potential to end poverty and propel an advanced socio-economic development unsurpassed by any other region. Sadly, weak governance, which generates corruption, conflict, and human rights violations, remains a significant barrier.
The Solution
EF Small Centre agrees with the long-held Pan-Africanist objective, which continues to be touted by all African leaders, governments, and institutions: the continent needs to unite. This is not only for the continent’s development but also a survival and security necessity given the present geopolitical dynamics around the world.
At a meeting of leaders who constituted the Casablanca Bloc in 1961 in Morocco, Nkrumah said,
“As I have always stated, and as I will continue to proclaim, I can see no security for African states unless African leaders like ourselves have realized beyond all doubts that salvation for Africa lies in Unity. Your Majesty, excellencies, let us unite, for in unity lies strength. As I see it, African states must unite or sell themselves out to imperialist and colonialist exploiters for a mess of pottage or disintegrate individually.”
He went further to state that,
“What I fear worst of all is the fact that if we do not formulate plans for unity and take active steps to form a political union, we would soon be fighting and warring among ourselves with imperialists and colonialists standing behind the screen and pulling vicious wires, to make us cut each other’s throats for the sake of their diabolical purposes in Africa.”
Today, these remarks have become a prophecy that has come true. Not only has Africa become poorer and weaker and continued to be marginalized on the global stage, but the continent has also become the global theatre for conflict. Currently, over 50 foreign military bases litter the continent operated by several countries, including the US, UK, France, Germany, China, Russia, and Turkey. These bases do not serve the best interest of African people but perpetuate the weakening and exploitation of the continent.
Therefore, EF Small Centre agrees with Kwame Nkrumah, all African leaders, and the AU that the continent must unite. At the OAU Summit on May 25, 1963, Nkrumah not only passionately called for unity but also provided clear, tangible, and achievable proposals for it.
“Unite we must. Without necessarily sacrificing our sovereignties, big or small, we can here and now forge a political union based on Defense, Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy, and a Common Citizenship, an African Currency, an African Monetary Zone, and an African Central Bank. We must unite in order to achieve the full liberation of our continent.”
Conclusion and Call to Action
Sixty-two years after that historic Africa summit, the state of Africa remains dire. Corruption and autocracy are prevalent. If not all, but most countries touted as democratic continue to slide back with democratically elected governments employing authoritarian methods and tactics to stifle fundamental freedoms. The governments, regional blocs, and continental bodies and institutions continue to manifest incompetence, inefficiency, and unethical leadership. As a result, these governments and bodies fail to uphold and abide by their constitutions, treaties, and protocols and ignore and forget their obligations to perpetuate the status quo.
Given the precarious global geopolitical situation, Africa must not stand still as a spectator, recipient, dependent, and follower. Africa must instead take charge of its destiny to chart its way in only Africa’s best interest. At a time when former colonial masters and global hegemonic powers such as the US, Russia, India, and China are focusing on themselves, Africa cannot remain indifferent and dormant. Africa cannot fail to recognize, appreciate, and respond to the growing global shifts and cut-throat competition between nations for domination and control. We owe no explanation, nor do we need to seek permission or show deference to anyone to pursue what is squarely in the best interest of only Africa.
It is long overdue for Africa to assert and focus on herself. In this regard, unity is an indispensable and existential necessity. As Nkrumah rightly observed, Africa must unite or perish.
Therefore, we call on the citizens of Africa to rise and demand unity now. We now call on the governments and leaders in Africa, the regional blocs, and the AU to bring about unity. We call on civil society, political parties, businesses, the media, and the African academia to demand and work towards a united Africa. We need a united Africa by the next Africa Day 2026.
