On Thursday, June 26, 2025, 1:30 AM, Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovdepoju@gmail.com> wrote:
May it be so
--On Thu, Jun 26, 2025, 4:00 AM 'Victor Okafor' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:--Arise Africa, Before It's Too Late! (Part III)
--Victor O. Okafor
Folks, when I saw the crossfire that raged recently in the Middle East, specifically the tit-for-tat war between Israel (which fired the first shot) and Iran, I was worried sick about Africa, about the future of a fragmented Africa. An aspect of this war that remains thought-provoking is the relative ease with which the Israeli Mossad broke through the security fences of Iran during the early rounds of the crossfire. It suggests that Mossad has a sizable number of insiders (meaning Iranians themselves) serving as its secret agents and informants. Beyond the fact that we empathize with fellow human beings who are subjected to wanton destruction of lives anywhere in the world, why should the Mossad aspect of this inferno be of interest to any of us? If Iran, which is arguably much better organized and more technologically equipped than an average African country, could be so easily penetrated by a ferocious foreign intelligence service, what do you think would happen to a given African country that might face a similar situation of being militarily attacked by a foreign power?
Increasingly, the principle of the sovereignty of nations is being threatened in real time, either openly as we have seen in the case of the Iranian-Israeli internecine tug of war and the subsequent US air assault on the former or surreptitiously through neo-colonial subterfuges as most virally exposed in recent months in the case of the former French colonies in Africa. Information that had resided mostly in library collections and academic journals and analyzed ad infinitum in scholarly conferences for decades, finally burst open and bounced onto the viral global social media. There is no inference here that the other former European colonies of Africa are free of neo-colonialism, but their neo-colonial experiences tend to be more subtle than the case of the ex-French colonies.
Given that African countries are literally not only surrounded by predatory powers (including, in some instances, stupidly allowing their sovereign territories to serve as military bases for certain geopolitical powers) but are also deeply penetrated by foreign intelligence services through our own African "brothers" and "sisters" who slavishly serve as their agents and informants, how many hours would it take for an African country to be over-powered by any external power that would venture to attack it? Your guess is as good as mine. God gave us the discretion and capacities to take charge of our lives on this planet, to be masters of this earth. God helps those who help themselves. We need more than prayers to safeguard the future of Africa.
With a sense of urgency, Africa must do away with an implicit practice of waiting for one savior or the other from either the West or the East and shift to a paradigm and guiding principle of self-reliance on all socioeconomic, political, technological, international finance, regional and continental security matters, along with of course necessary alliances and cooperation with external powers. Ours is an inter-connected world, and no nation or region is an island unto itself. I recall a recent revelation by a former South African external affairs minister to the effect that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the West showed reluctance in releasing COVID-19 vaccines to African countries. Well, for one, Western societies had a just reason and a primary responsibility for first taking care of their people before extending help to other nations. The vaccines were not produced without costs, and so, the West was correct to demand payments from any external party that sought to acquire them. But what visible lessons has Africa learned from that experience? Have African countries embarked on coordinated applied research, human capital development, and institutional building designed to enable Africa to produce its vaccines for future epidemics and pandemics, or is Africa still in a state of semi-slumber with outstretched hands, waiting for a Father Christmas who will bail it out if another epidemic or pandemic occurs? One of the things that Western societies are generally good at is self-correction and a constant striving for continuous quality improvement due to a vibrant mixed market economy in which the private sector plays a dominant role as a producer of goods and services. An average Western economy is a relatively self-sufficient economic entity that competitively engages with other nations. Suppose a fire erupts in a government building, a typical Western society will not be content with putting out the fire. It will also work hard to determine the causal factors and put policies in place to prevent a recurrence. It's a highly maintenance-conscious culture due to the salutary impact of a vibrant private sector of the economy and a generally accountable system of governance in which the voter counts, and the voter determines winners and losers in given elections. These are positive lessons that Africa needs to emulate. Our world is one in which we learn, and have historically learned, from one another as we grapple with the challenges of life on earth.
As the world scene vibrates with terror, fear, and uncertainty amidst a resurgence of vulgar imperial impulses, can't African national leaders read the handwriting on the wall? What else needs to happen for Africa to expeditiously move to a "United Confederation of African States" with a rotational 4-year "president-general" (that is, every 4 years, the incumbent Head of State of a given African country, would take over as the president-general of the United Confederation of African states), an effective common parliament with equal representation from the constituent countries of Africa, a common Army, a common Navy, a common Airforce, a common intelligence apparatus, a common currency, and dual continental citizenship for all Africans that would allow for a truly free movement of not just goods and services, but also of professionals in all areas of life?
Arise, Africa before it is too late!!! Don't wait for what happened to your ancestors to repeat itself. The old adage that those who forget their history are bound to repeat its mistakes remains a truism of earthly life.
African states will still be responsible for their national governance and national economies
Under this proposed United Confederation of African states, the constituent African countries would still take charge of their national governance and their national economies to be aligned with the expectations and goals of The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); they will still take charge of their national security apparatuses to be aligned with an African continental security apparatus; and they will still take charge of their foreign policies to be aligned with a unifying framework of African Continental Foreign policy guidelines; but the president-general of the United Confederation of African States will be responsible for the cross-border macro-economic, political, and security coordination and cooperation necessary for the collective wellbeing, collective protection, and collective defense of the African continent. The African parliament will reserve the right to sanction and vote out of office a president-general who demonstrably acts in ways that are corrupt or manifestly anti-African and against the overall African interest and replace him or her with the national president of the country that is next in line for that continental leadership—that is, the Office of the President-General. A professionally qualified secretary-general, along with a cadre of experts, will be in charge of the bureaucratic wing of the political Office of the president-general.
The Executive Council
Subject to the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and to enabling laws to be passed by the African Parliament, and applying a broad leadership vision of continental self-reliance in the context of an inter-connected world, the office of the President-General shall execute the duties of his/her office with the help of an United African Confederation Cabinet constituted by (i) an African Confederation External Affairs coordinator, (ii) an African Confederation Defense Affairs coordinator, (iii) an African Confederation coordinator of Intelligence Services (iv) an African Confederation Economic Affairs coordinator, (v) an African Confederation Science and Technological Development coordinator, (vi) an African Confederation Mines and Mineral Resources Affairs coordinator, (vii) an African Confederation coordinator of Health and Human Services, and (viii) an African Confederation coordinator without portfolio. Together with the president-general, these African Confederation coordinators shall constitute the Executive Council of the United Confederation of African States.
Ministerial Council
Each of the aforementioned coordinators will head a ministerial council of national ministers of African states with relevant portfolios that shall meet monthly. Each ministerial council shall advise and recommend policies, programs, and projects to the aforementioned Executive Council on related matters.
The Advisory Board (to replace the African Union)
The heads of state of the 55 constituent countries of Africa shall form the Advisory Board of the United Confederation of African States, which will replace the African Union and will be invested with the role of advising the President-General on matters that affect the United Confederation of African States, subject to enabling laws enacted by the African parliament. The president-general shall serve as the chair of the Advisory Board of the United Confederation of African States, which shall meet once a year or as needed by the president-general.
The Budgeting Framework
The current budgeting framework for the African Union, which is derived from annual contributions by member states, shall be appropriately fine-tuned, scaled up, and transferred to the Office of the President-General of the United Confederation of African States.
The Headquarters
The current headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, shall be transferred to and serve as the headquarters of the United Confederation of African States.
Need to Amend the Constitutive Act of the African Union
For this framework for a United Confederation of African States to take effect, the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which was adopted in Lomé, Togo, in 2000 and entered into force in 2002, would have to be accordingly amended and adopted by African countries.
Africa, time is not on your side. You must act now, not later.
--Sincerely,Victor O. Okafor, Ph.D.Professor and HeadDepartment of Africology and African American StudiesEastern Michigan UniversityEmail: vokafor@emich.eduTel: 734.487.9594Food for Thought:"I myself do not judge a man [or a woman] by the color of his [or her] skin. The yardstick that I use to judge a man [or a woman] is his [ or her] deeds, his [her] behavior, and his [or her] intentions." -- Malcolm X.
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