Chair, the unification of Africa is not a choice; it is an imperative. Africa must unite or perish. Through a courageous policy of unification, an integrated economic and technological development continentally, Africa can take her rightful place among the powerful nations of the world.
It is for this reason that, from our inception in 1959, we in the PAC strongly identified ourselves with the entire Pan-African Movement and advocated a union of sovereign states.
A united states of Africa does not mean loss of sovereignty by independent states. On the contrary, as Kwame Nkrumah stated: A united states of Africa will strengthen the sovereignty of the individual states within the union. The longer we wait, the stronger will be the hold on Africa by neocolonialism and imperialism.
Africa has been a great actor in history. She must come alive again and take her destiny in her own hands, once more. The African Union government is a catalyst in this noble journey. Forward to a giant, monolithic state of Africa! Forward to a social order original in conception and Africanistic in orientation! [Applause.]