60th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ALL AFRICAN PEOPLE’S CONFERENCE [FULL TEXT]

Message of the Opening Ceremony – Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr

It’s exactly 60 years since the first All-African People’s Conference (AAPC) was organized by Kwame Nkrumah in Accra, Ghana in December 1958. It was attended by more than 300 delegates drawn from 62 nationalist organizations including liberation movements, trade unions, and youth organizations from all over the continent.

There had been Pan-African Congresses and Conferences prior to this. What was unique about the 1958 Conference was that it was the first such gathering of Africans on Africa soil. But it was also important for the issues it was to consider.

Two themes run through the conference’s deliberations namely liberation and unity.
At the time only eight countries were independent – Ghana, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia and Sudan. Liberation thus meant working together to free the whole continent from colonial rule and imperialism. Earlier in 1957, at the independence of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah had declared that, the independence of Ghana was meaningless unless it was linked with the total liberation of the African continent.

But liberation was not enough. Unity was required to safeguard the independence of Africa. Several decades of division has taught us the bitter lesson we failed to learn 60 years ago. In the first place, the division of Africa into tiny states was meant to serve the interests of others not us. And that is exactly what it has done.

Today, even though Africa is home to most of the world’s resources, the primary beneficiaries of the proceeds of these resources are not Africans generally. Millions of our people still wallow in poverty in the midst of plenty.

The All-African People’s Conference @60 is not just an event, but am occasion to reflect on the current state of Africa and inspire this generation of African masses to take responsibility for the complete liberation and unification of Africa.

This gathering gives us the opportunity not only to reflect on the African condition, but to also strategize for achieving the dream of a a United Africa States.
Some of the benefits of a United African States:

1. All people of African descent will have the freedom to move from one part of the State to another without any hindrance.
2. Full sovereignty where control of our destiny, economies and resources will be in African hands.
3. A vibrant economy with a common currency sustained by a vast market.
4. Reduction in costs of running governments.
5. A more secure and peaceful environment guaranteed by a common defiance strategy.

In his speech at the founding of OAU, Kwame Nkrumah charged. “Unite we must, without necessarily sacrificing our sovereignties, big or small, we can forge a political union based on Defence, Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy, and a common Citizenship, an African currency, an African monetary zone, and am African Central Bank. We must unite in order to achieve the full liberation of our continent. We need common Defense system with an African High Command to ensure the stability and security of Africa “

This sort of unity has eluded us for six decades and division has worked so much against us. To deal with the challenges confronting us and to harness our resources for the prosperity of all Africas, we cannot avoid the imperative of unity any longer.