Delegates attending the ongoing Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference in Abuja have said that the concept of a United States of Africa is possible if there is a firm resolve by states, the official News Agency of Nigeria reported.
The concept has been a long-time dream of the Libyan leader, Muama Ghadafi, who is the current Chairman of the African Union (AU). Ghadafi formally proposed the establishment of a United States of Africa at the last AU summit in Addis Ababa.
The conference participants said the initiative would only be possible if all countries were carried along. Osman Mudawi, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the National Assembly of Morocco, said a resolution wholly adopted by African countries was critical in achieving the dream.
"I do not think that anything can stand in the way of achieving this dream once there is the resolve to get there," he said.
"No African country can single-handedly survive in this world that is dominated by giants; we need to have a big economic bloc to withstand the challenges posed by countries like the United States, the European Union, China, India and Japan," Mudawi added.
He warned that lack of understanding among African nations could increasingly pose a hindrance to the attainment of set goals and objectives. Mudawi added that there was the need for a massive campaign to educate African peoples on the need to have the United States of Africa.
Mohammed Chrourou, a delegate from Morocco, said there was the need to achieve a consensus on the matter through a wide-range consultation among the African peoples.
He said African countries must unite to achieve the establishment of a united entity, adding that the enthronement of democracy in all African countries was fundamental to the success of the initiative.
Source:Xinhua
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