Common purpose: Africa Day should reflect the achievement of Agenda 2063’s aims to deliver inclusive and sustainable development to drive the pan-African dream of unity. Photo: AU
The founding president of independent Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, sounded a warning to Africa during the historic summit that gave birth to the Organisation of African Unity in Addis Ababa in 1963.
“If we do not approach the problems in Africa with a common front and a common purpose, we shall be haggling and wrangling among ourselves until we are colonised again and become the tools of a far greater colonialism than we suffered hitherto.”
Sixty-three years later, the jury is still out on whether African leaders are acting as a united front in tackling the continent’s problems, as advised by Nkrumah.
As the continent celebrates Africa Day on May 25, it is also worth examining whether Africa has moved closer to becoming the independent continent envisaged by Nkrumah and his generation of pioneers for a new Africa.
