I was just thinking.

From 1963 to about 1990, there was an awesomeness, and an aura surrounding what was then known as Africa Freedom Day which falls on May 25th each year. The day was filled with the air of belonging, victory, respect, ownership and celebration of African freedom and people. To me, it now seems to be just another holiday. Nothing inspires me to celebrate the day anymore.

When the Pan-Africanist movement began in the United States at the end of the 19th century, African-American educated leaders like Martin Delany and Alexander Crummel saw no differences between themselves and the black people of Africa. The aspirations of these men, later joined by scholars like W.E.B Du Bois and activists such as Marcus Garvey, strongly believed that Africa’s economic, political and social stumbling blocks lay squarely at the feet of colonialism.

During conferences to discuss the formation the formation of the Organization of African Unity, three divisions came up: The Casablanca Group which consisted of Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Libya, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria advocated a complete United States of Africa. The Monrovia Group consisting of Nigeria, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Liberia, Sudan, Togo and Somalia was in favor of a slower and calculated approach to a United States of Africa. Finally, the Brazzaville Group comprising Francophone countries and led by Senegal and the Ivory Coast preferred to remain linked to their colonial master, France. Some African countries such as Kenya under Jomo Kenyatta and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of Nigeria did support the dream of a united Africa but were concerned that Nkrumah was too ambitious and his dream would compromise their state sovereignty. The Organization of African Unity was therefore formed in May, 1963 as a diluted version of a United States of Africa. Sixty later, the dream of a United States of Africa remains unachieved. There are several reasons why the continent has not achieved a “One Africa”.

Well before 1963, the African system consisted of countries led by great leaders who desired to see a free and united continent. It was no surprise to see the acceleration of Pan-Africanism and collectivism on the continent led by founding fathers like Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Leopold Senghor (Senegal), Kenneth Kaunda (future Zambian leader), Sylvanus Olympio (Togo), Modibo Keita (Mali), Sékou Touré (Guinea), Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt), Emperor Haile Selassie (Ethiopia) and others who later founded the Organization of African Unity (now African Union). There was a collectivist emergence of Pan-Africanism on the continent as the “Wind of Change” which British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan foresaw when he addressed the apartheid South African apartheid Parliament on February 3, 1960 was already blowing. Kwame Nkrumah, who had led Ghana to independence in 1957 publicly stated that his country’s independence was meaningless unless the entire continent was free.

With the entire continent now relatively free, it is clear that power-play and influence by stronger states remains active. These stronger states are not alone in this scheme but are being aided by some compromised leaders on the continent. With the founders either dead or out of office in the 1990s, it was Colonel Gadhafi who continued to fight for a United States of Africa at many African Summits. He did so at the African Union in Lomé, Togo in 2000 and even financially supported the African Union. Again, in June 2007, he paid all the membership fees for countries that were in arrears at the summit. Both in Conakry, Guinea and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2007, Gadhafi presented his vision again and remained resolute until he was murdered. With his death, the issue of a United States of Africa has since been bed-ridden. Africa needs a new crop of Pan-Africanists who can carry forward the vision of our founding fathers. The continent needs leaders who are selfless, protective of the vast natural resources and the people.

At some point in our pre-independence and early post-independence African history, I recall with pride the kind of solidarity enjoyed among African countries. As a continent, the unity among the English-speaking, French-speaking and Arab-speaking countries was key to the formation of the Organization of African Unity and later, respective regional groupings. There is no denying that there were some serious differences in the foreign policy of some countries, such as that between Francophone and Anglophone countries during the fight against the apartheid regime when some former French colonies advocated for dialogue and trade with apartheid South Africa, which was strongly opposed by most Anglophone countries.

In our region, African solidarity was personified by Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Milton Obote (Uganda) and Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia) with their Mulungushi Club. These three leaders stood together and became not only the voice of the fight for the total liberation of Southern Africa but spoke out on matters beyond the African continent. For many African countries however, solidarity could only go as far as pronouncement made by various Heads of State at OAU Summits, with little or no practical engagement. The transformation of the OAU to the African Union (AU) should have brought with it a new approach to solidarity that goes beyond rhetoric from a safe distance.

Now that Africa attained independence, which was essentially kicking out colonialists, the continent still wallows in dependency upon the very same people it got rid of. Some of them control African economies, their foreign policies and even domestic policies. We have allowed them. So, free from what? Was dropping the word “Freedom” from “Africa Freedom Day” to just “Africa Day” an admission that freedom on the continent was incomplete? As for unity, African countries are not on the same page as at the time of our founders. Pan-Africanism is a term that seems to have vanished from the vocabulary of Africa’s leaders and is no longer on our agenda.

Whether you like him or not, agree with his thinking or not, South Africa’s Julius Malema is about the only political leader talking about an Africa that is united, without borders and depending upon its own wealth. Whether a United States of Africa is still a possibility in this dispensation is another debate.

For now, the African Union and regional groupings must begin to focus on harnessing the continent’s abundant wealth in a manner that will liberate it from foreign powers. Africa must be in control of its vast and rich natural resources as individual countries, regional groups and up to continental level. Africa must add value to its raw materials.

Today, the sad story of debt burden continues to torment the continent. Much as it is appreciated that Africa benefits from some support provided in the area of foreign aid, investment, balance of payments support and general economic development from developed countries, the bad outnumbers the good. Africa is heavily indebted and perpetually suffering from harsh conditions associated with aid packages and yet the power to wealth is in and on this continent. It was therefore good to hear President Hakainde Hichilema talk about the need for reforms in the International Financial System. In the same vein, African leaders must begin to push for reforms at the United Nations, specifically the Security Council for a stronger voice. There must be at least two permanent seats in the UNSC with full veto powers, but it must be expected that the current P-5 will fight against this.

Global business and the international economic system has been rather hostile to Africa and this has been allowed through corruption, abuse and misplacement of national resources in many countries by selfish and crooked leaders, apart from the difficulties of trade with the rich countries. It is time for African leaders to take a decisive position to refuse this blatant exploitation of Africa’s wealth. In fact, if Africa were to put her house in order, I doubt that there would be any need of financial aid but investment that will industrialize the continent.

It is critical that some countries facing internal conflicts, such as Sudan are assisted to resolve these problems, some of which are fueled by external forces that destabilize economies. Africa must stop creating conflicts and then seek solutions from Europe, China and the United States. As for now, Africa Day without genuine African unity in all areas of human endeavor is just another holiday on the calendar.

Briefly, the starting point is to ensure African leaders adhere to tenets of good governance where they refrain from engaging in corruption but provide accountability and transparency and upholding integrity in their own countries first. This means getting the most for each country’s natural resources and using the revenue to prudently improve the needs of all the people. It means developing an intra-African road, air, sea and railway transportation network that enhances trade. We need to get to a place where foreign investors need Africa more than Africa needs them.

It’s just a thought.

The Author is a Former Director of a multinational company who pays keen interest in Global Affairs.