Youth Empowerment & Manifestation Initiative

1. Unity as African
pathway to Greatness;
A vision and possibility.
By: Shamsuddin
Bolatito (PhD in View)
A presentation for
Youth Empowerment
&Manifestation Initiative.
@ Indimi Hall, Faculty of Petroleum and
Mineral Resources, International University of
Africa, Khartoum.
14th July, 2018.

2. Unity of Africa
• Organisation ofAfrican Unity (OAU), the predecessor to the African Union (AU), in 1963
gave the time forAfrican leaders to raised hopes of one, united Africa, without trade or
political barriers.
• Nelson Mandela said 'I dream of the realisation of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders
combine in their effort to solve the problems of this continent.
• With a common history and destiny, African independence was not an individual nation’s
liberation struggle but a Pan-African endeavour. Under the OAU, African nations
collectively rose up to defend African sovereignty, eradicate colonialism and give Africa a
brighter tomorrow.The OAU’s vision forAfrica was clear, African unity in order to excel.

3. The African Union is a continental union consisting of all
55 countries on the African continent, extending slightly
into geographical Asia via the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
Headquarters: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Founder: MuammarAl Gathafi
Founded: May 26, 2001, at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Arabic: ‫االتحاد‬‫األفريقي‬
French: Union Africaine
Parent organizations: Organisation of African
Unity, African Economic Community
African Union

4. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
• Kwame Nkrumah
• Kwame Nkrumah was a Ghanaian nationalist leader
and the first Premier of Ghana, formerly known as
Gold Coast.
• Nkrumah was born in 1909. He was instrumental in
winning Ghana's independence from the UK in 1957.
• He became President of the country in 1960 but soon
was ousted in a military coup.
• He exiled after the coup. He passed away in 1972 at
Bucharest in Romania.

5. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
Julius Nyerere
Julius Nyerere is the father of nation of
Tanzania, anti-colonial activist, politician, and
political theorist.
Born: April 13, 1922, Butiama
He fought for years for the independence of his
country from the British empire. He became the
Premier of the country, which was called Zanzibar
then, in 1961. He became the President of the
newly established republic in 1962. He passed
away in 1999.

6. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
•Haile Selassie
• Haile Selassie I, was born RasTafari
Makonnen.
• He was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930
and emperor from 1930 to 1974.
• Born: July 23, 1892
• Died: August 27, 1975, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia.

7. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
• Thoma Sankara
• Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara was a Burkinabé pro-
people revolutionary leader, Marxist, pan-Africanist
and President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987.
• Born: December 21, 1949,Yako, Burkina Faso
• Assassinated:October 15, 1987, Ouagadougou,
Burkina Faso
• Presidential term: August 4, 1984 – October 15,
1987

8. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
• Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein
• Gamal Abdel Nasser was the second President
of Egypt, serving from 1956 until his death in
1970.
• Nasser led the 1952 overthrow of the monarchy
and introduced far-reaching land reforms the
following year.
• Born: January 15, 1918, Bakos, Egypt
• Died: September 28, 1970, Cairo, Egypt

9. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
•Patrice Lumumba
• His real name was Élias Okit'Asombo.
• He was a Congolese politician and independence leader who
served as the first Prime Minister of the independent Democratic
Republic of the Congo from June until September 1960. He
fought for a united Congo but was ousted and murdered in 1961.
• His assassination is considered to be one of the most brutal in
history.
• Born: July 2, 1925, Katakokombe, Democratic Republic of the
Congo.

10. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
• Jomo Kenyatta
• Jomo Kenyatta was a Kenyan anti-colonial
activist and politician who governed
Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to
1964 and then as its first President from
1964 to his death in 1978.
• Born: October 20, 1891, Gatundu, Kenya
• Died: August 22, 1978, Mombasa, Kenya

11. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
• Milton Obote
• Apollo Milton Obote was a Ugandan political leader
who led Uganda to independence in 1962 from British
colonial administration.
• Born: December 28, 1925, Apac District, Uganda
• Died: October 10, 2005, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Book:Thoughts of an African leader

12. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
• Nnamdi Azikiwe
• Chief Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, usually referred to
as Nnamdi Azikiwe or Zik, was a Nigerian statesman
who served as the first President of Nigeria from
1963 to 1966, holding the presidency throughout the
Nigerian First Republic.
• Born: November 16, 1904, Zungeru, Nigeria
• Died: May 11, 1996, University of Nigeria Teaching
Hospital Enugu, Ituku, Nigeria

13. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
• Obafemi Awolowo
• Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo,
GCFR, was a Nigerian nationalist and
statesman who played a key role in Nigeria's
independence movement, the First and
Second Republics and the Civil War.
• Born: March 6, 1909, Ikenne, Nigeria
• Died: May 9, 1987, Ikenne, Nigeria

14. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
• Sir AbubakarTafawa Balewa
• Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, KBE was a
Nigerian politician, and the first prime minister
of an independent Nigeria.
• Born: October 1, 1912, Bauchi, Nigeria
• Assassinated: January 15, 1966, Lagos, Nigeria

15. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
• OliverTambo
• Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo was a South
African anti-apartheid politician and
revolutionary who served as President of the
African National Congress from 1967 to 1991.
• Born: October 27, 1917, Nkantolo, South Africa
• Died: April 24, 1993, Johannesburg, South
Africa

16. Greatest Freedom Fighters of Africa
• Nelson Mandela
• Nelson Mandela is known as the African Gandhi. He was
affectionately called Madiba. Mandela was the president
of African National Congress (ANC). He fought apartheid,
and was imprisoned for 27 years continuously.
• His fight, however, brought an end to the 350 years of
colonial domination of the whites. Upon his release in
1994, he was elected as the first black President of South
Africa.
• Born: July 18, 1918, Mvezo, South Africa
• Died: December 5, 2013, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg,
South Africa

17. African Unity and Post-independence leaders
Lack of a unified voice as a continuing serious negative consequences for our continent
Unity in dictatorship, Corruption and Misery
Poverty perpetuated by poor governance
The masses of African people knows nothing than with contempt, abuse and brutal force to
remain in power
Accumulate personal wealth, indulge in excessive abuse of power and perfect despotic and
violent rule
The OAU became no more than a trade union of heads of state and governments, many of
whom became in subsequent years violent dictators, Kleptocrats, self-appointed emperors
and presidents for life
Independent countries became not only poor economies but also economies dependent on
their former colonial countries
Rampant miss rule and the many violations that took place in many countries including
Central African Republic, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, and former Zaire.

18. Betrayer of African Unity
1. African freedom fighter had asked for a continental government of Union of African States
with a common foreign policy and diplomacy, common citizenship and a capital city; but
they got a loose organization which specifically provides for its members to be able to
renounce their membership.
2. Union of Africa that would solve all border problems; they got a Commission of Mediation
3. They had asked for a continent-wide economic and industrial programme to include a
common market, a common communications system, and a monetary zone with a central
bank and currency; they got only a promise that commissions for matters of economic and
social, educational and cultural, scientific and technical might be set up.
4. They asked for plans for a common system of defence; they got only the promise of a
defence commission
5. They asked for self dependent and sufficient Africa, they got heavy dependence on donor
funding Africans
6. They asked for African Unity but they got division and rivalry among African states

19. Limitation and Obstacles to African Unity
1. The solidified and hardened colonial fences separating countries and peoples of Africa
2. The lack of sustainable political commitment and absence of societal wide awareness and
support for the unification of the African countries
3. Neo-Colonial conspiracies to impede and frustrate the unification of the continent
4. The lack of required socio-economic infrastructure capable of facilitating its realization
5. Regular and periodic conflicts over ethnicity, tribes, resource control, land disputes and
cross boarder violence
6. Lack of unity among African countries has made Africa the Sick Continent of the World
7. Lack of credible, free and fair election among African countries
8. Lack of good democratic values, disrespect for human rights, injustice and the absence of
rule of law
9. Political Instability, allegiance to former colonial masters and lack of binding decision on
members States.

20. Threat to Africa Greatness
Poverty and political conflicts across Africa hurt the continent’s economic fortunes.This
legacy of Western domination has left Africa devastated with crippling rates of poverty,
hunger, and diseases
The scramble and exploitation of Africa’s resources by the Chinese and Western Colonialist
The social, economic and political inequalities among African states as a threat
Diverse historical background, political structure, language, size (territory and population)
external alignment and ideological orientation
The recurrence of inter and intrastate terrorism and political instability is still a big threat
Massive unemployment, socioeconomic marginalization, unsound economic policies and
youthful waithood
The decline of opportunities in the rural area has led young men and women to migrate to
the cities and some has perished in the Mediterranean sea.

21. Prospect and Panacea to Challenges in Africa
Projection of the African personality:- Africa speaking with one voice within the international
community in order to command the respect of other nations and enableAfrica to compete favourably
with other political unions and economic blocs in this globalized world.
Africa should have a unified foreign policy and diplomacy
Overcoming the destructive forces of neo-colonialism and to construct the African society according to
African aspirations (African Solution to African Problems)
Enhancing the security and cohesion of African states
Transforming the political map of Africa beyond the artificial divisions and territorial boundaries created
by the colonial powers which was a deliberate attempt to obstruct the political unity of Africa and
power of African peoples
Overcoming the problem of cultural divisions in Africa
Ending the European,Western and Chinese exploitation of Africa
AfricanYouth Promoting world peace and security as a path to greatness anchored on cooperation,
unity and mutual co-existence and respect for each other views

22. Prospect and Panacea to Challenges in Africa
 ‘‘Globalizing” the African continent through dressing, culture, social networking and free movement
of her people hence there must be abolition ofVisas among Africa countries.
African Unity must be anchored on a firm ideological conviction and commitment vision for the
continent
Unity of purpose of the continent as Salvation for Africa lies in unity…for in unity lies strength
Motivation to build communication and transport infrastructure that connects the countries of the
continent.
To ensure chances of intra-African trade and possibility of economic integration.
The development of infrastructural facilities for transportation and communication to network and
link up the countries of Africa and the peoples of the continent.
A standardized trade frameworks and industrialization for producing finished products essential for
intra-African trade that facilitates economic integration and intra-regional trade.
Strong dedicated political leadership and commitment for pursuing the dream of African unity
The establishment of inter-African solidarity must be a solidarity of fact, a solidarity of action, a
solidarity of concrete in men, in equipment, in money, Education, health care and several factors.

23. Conclusion
• The foregoing clearly illustrated that “African unity’’ encountered betrayals, failures of
catastrophic consequences, missed opportunities for development of the continent.
• Failure to achieve the Unity would leave countries of the continent divided by petty conflicts
and struggles for the dream of unification for far too long to accomplish. And as former
South African PresidentThabo Mbeki warned “˜If this dream is deferred for much longer,
surely, it will explode!’
• Consequently, a common market, a common currency, a unified army and a common foreign
policy could provide a massive reconstruction and modernization of the continent, and also
optimize Africa’s efforts to find its rightful place in the international arena.