On 27, April, 2024 President Paul KAGAME attended the world economic forum 2024(WEF) which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He participated in high-level round table discussions with other dignitaries among them the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the IMF Chief, Kristalina Georgieva.
President Kagame talked very well about African integration among other topics. There is nothing I can add to what he said, he knows this topic better than almost anyone, including me. He championed African integration in 2018 when he was Chairman of theAfrican Union.
What I would like to contribute to this topic is that Africa’s future, survival and development will depend on African continental integration from individual countries to a one Africa without borders. Borders should only remain as a tool of decentralization for efficient governance.
For instance, for Africa to silence guns for good, Africa must integrate by eliminating borders and cease to be an amalgamation of more than fifty-four (54) vulnerable individual countries.
You are now wondering why I say this. I have been living in the United States (US) for more than twenty years, I have never seen an armed conflict or war inside between States. US has fifty (50) states, 48 of them contiguous (share common borders). It made me wonder why.
The observation led me to the conclusion that most conflicts and wars are caused by competition for resources and that in the United States, a citizen and a permanent resident have access to resources and opportunities that are available in any of the States. All a person needs to do is pursue those resources wherever they may be in the country as long as the person has the skills, the means and the will to get to them. No one needs a visa or any kind of immigration paper to go from one state to another as the states are fully integrated as one continent country.
If African countries also fully integrate as one Africa – and I am not necessarily advocating to do it the same way as US did it, rather do it in a way we, Africans derive maximum benefits- the continent’s citizens and residents will have access to pursue
resources and opportunities wherever they may be on the continent. This will most likely eliminate inter-African conflicts and wars in the long run.
Integration is also good for industrialization, which Africa needs and can achieve given the vast human and material resources. The lack of internal wars and rapid industrialization are true for other well integrated continent countries such as China, Canada, Russia and Australia. We can even include the European Union.
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.