following the african union meeting in ghana, there was heated debate about forming an african government. Is this dreaming or is it a possibility?

I heard about that but for some reason I can't imagine it because East Africans are so divided with the rest of Africa. It would work best if it was a unity government between West African Countries.

Thinking about it, I think even the size of the continent + it's population is too large for just one government to rule.

don't agree with you j-girl about the issue of the population and size. Is bad that even the African governments have little faith in the continent because of their power and greed. Africa can be united with the help of dedicated organisers, visionaries, equality, innovation, and infrastructure. Is sad that Africa for the most part enslave one another, try to oppress one another but will hide the tail btw their legs like a dog when a single whiteman is around them, and leaders being so ignorant, arrogant, and staying in power too long. Worse, is that we have stuck with old traditions like traditional rulers in vitually every city in west Africa and at the same time we want electorate officals but yet we still have idle people to just be there for traditional sake.
The size of the continent does not matter if we can plan unity amongst ourselves first meaning the real Africans not arab africans. The population is nothing when u see the way the united states and europe contol their population and immigration all made up of diverse people but yet people with one skin find it very difficult in time of peace and lack of sabotage from the europeans and americans now that they are focused on the middle east.
United states of Africa should be in place in the next 25yrs so that future generations will have more access to natural resources, something that will spark innovations and they would respect the current generations and feel emboldened that people of today thought about them with visible and intelligent results. Is all about tolerance, respect for one another, and dedication.

I see where you're coming from but I still maintain my opinion about it. If there is going to be a government, it is going to become worse than tribal wars. If a Nigerian man is picked to be the president of Africa, his cabinet will be composed mostly of Nigerians. It's difficult to rule even one country in Africa not to talk of all the countries as one. With the wars in Somalia, Liberia and some others - it's a thing that will take more than a 100 years to achieve. There is too much division among tribes and then to make it something of a continental thing will just erupt in World War 3.

What I'm saying is that there should be a lot of time before they make it an actuality and a lot of solutions have to come to play in formation of U. S. of Africa

We never unite Nigeria na Africa we wan unite, anyway sha no harm in dreaming. Yes I have a dream that one day we shall all be united as one until then i go pray.

Haba!!! They shouldn't start with this "nansense"!! We are not yet a United State of Nigeria talkless of Africa. What kind of "nansense" is this?

The united states of Africa is utopia.There are so many factors militating against the idea.From language to tribal differences, cultural to historical differences.The African continent has a thick population which will make it difficult to govern.Even in confederal systems the odds do not favor a unified Africa.This kind of system will make countries like Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt super powers.While countries like Togo, Eritrea, Benin, Cape Verde minnows.I think the best option is strengthening of the Regions.From North to West, East to South. So far the southern countries have shown more integration towards a unified africa than the rest.Only perhaps the romance between Ghana and Nigeria.The united states of africa is a project that will be realised in the future.So lets support the idea by showing more love to our african brothers wherever.

i don't know why most people are so pessimistic. The colonialists just drew lines and declared certain acreage was ghana, togo, uganda etc. Its not like people within those lines were always similar and agreeable. we need to  see the possibilities and not just list reasons of why things cannot be. There is so much to be gained and if not for us for those who come after us. We need to quit thinking for only today but look far far into the future.
The first thing they need to do though is to develop intra africa infrastrucure and ease travel within the borders. Africa is so varied  with so much to experience and yet even africans with money don't travel within africa for leisure. They would rather go to the west where they are not even appreciated. Thank god for dblock, constantin and co for posting pics  of other african countries otherwise i would have no clue what they look like and yet i know a few things about the eiffel tower, times square new york, picaddilly circus, cn tower in toronto etc. shame!

j-girl:

I heard about that but for some reason I can't imagine it because East Africans are so divided with the rest of Africa. It would work best if it was a unity government between West African Countries.

Thinking about it, I think even the size of the continent + it's population is too large for just one government to rule.

i disagree because although west africans tend to see east africans as different, having lived in both places i would say black is black especially if suffering the same problems. Only difference is minor things like how u cook ur food and if u circumcise or not etc. I dont think anybody goes to war over that. Wars are usually about resources. Who has them and who wants to get at them. Other things are just add ons. If we could find a way for every african to eat 3 square meals a day, why not try to get there?

it is a pointless and wasteful exercise in my opinion, driven mainly by one man's egotistical drive for self aggrandisement. Ghaddafi tried this move with arab states, when it failed he turned his attention to Africa. He simply wants to be more than self appointed life ruler of Libya, he wants to extend it to the rest of Africa.

that aside, other pertinent issues remain - most of the members of the AU cannot even meet up with their monetary obligations to the organisation, meaning that a few relatively rich countries in the continent would shoulder all the responsibility and thus may dictate to the other small countries or lead to inefficient running of the so called US of Africa. if the current AU isn't fufilling its mandate, pray tell how will the new body to be created fare better?

thirdly, basic issues - Zimbabwe's rampant mismanagement by Mugabe, Sudan's genocidal killings in Darfur, two of the worst eyesores on the entire planet lie smack within Africa, yet the AU is too scared/weak to call these leaders to order, Mbeki's 'silent diplomacy' has achieved NOTHING for zimbabweans, their leader still continues his tyranny, with his African bros supporting him or choosing to look the other way.

Ditto for sudan, the loudest cries against the atrocities are not by other African nations, but by civil society groups and others outside the continent, we can't call ourselves to order yet we want to integrate the whole continent? God forbid Nigeria becomes the same country as those evil arab killers from Sudan.

poverty is rampant across the continent, are we dealing with these issues? instead we dream of a grandiose US of Africa with no teeth, no clear sense of direction except to satisfy a former colonel's thirst for domination of the scene. MDG's are not being met, wars still abound, and we are the laggards in the world economy. lets face these issues instead of listening to the self serving sheik from the desert.


NO to any foolish US of Africa, we have more pressing issues facing us than wasting funds on such an aimless meeting.

I'm glad Yar'adua said we should take things slow (diplomatic way of saying this idea is pure unadulterated bs)

[size=20pt]it can't work all na film treak[/size]

all u naysayers, please yours is a myopic view. Look at where the world is headed and broaden ur view. The future is in globalization and not in small ineffective people groups who cannot even meet the basic needs of their citizens. If we are not careful Africa will once again miss out on yet another age.
Afrocentric thinking tends to be small and unadventurous. We dont take risks which explains why we dont swim, climb mountains, unless its for survival purposes. Dreams are said to be silly and childish and yet look at those who settled the americas, australia etc. They were not dying in europe but they chose to take a risk for a better future. African intergration would be a risk for a better future. Their progeny is now reaping the benefits of those early risk takers. We need to plan not for 10 yrs but for the next 100yrs. Otherwise like everything else we will be probably worse off as most african countries seem to only decline 40 yrs post independence.
At this rate Africa will continue to be a place that is pillaged by foreigners for its rich natural resources yet the people are left poor and penniless.

mushki how successful are the individual states (even the rich ones) right now that you think by some magic unification will achieve something?

Europe did not seriously integrate politically till a few years ago, by then the individual countries were well developed and succeeding before deciding to come together for further success, what are we coming together for? further failure?

Look at Japan, SK, and other Asian power houses - are they running to form United states of Asia?? Even Canada and the US, with common language, similar currency and all the other uniting factors aren't rushing to form United states of North America - they are fully integrated trade-wise without any political joining. If that is the path in (arguably) the most developed continent, I don't see why we are running to tie each other together.

this is another misdirected vain egotistical drive by some leaders wanting to perpetuate themselves and lord it over others.

it is not myopic that while we cannot tackle simple problems with the myriad of regional groupings we already have (which would serve as basis for this US of Africa) you simply believe lumping all together will achieve it somehow?

@debosky
It is because individual states are so unsuccessful that they need to find a new path. As for the US dah! Get that united states. They did that in the 1860's and so did Canada.
we are far behind like in everything else. No that is wrong coz in religion africans are number1.