On Africa, Dr Kwame Nkrumah said, “The forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart.” The argument for Integration was fought fiercely in the early years after independence by the likes of Nkrumah, Nyerere, Selassie and others; an ancient argument that appears to have been won in theory but is still being fought in practice. 2018 was a monumental year for integration efforts as the AU successfully launched the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, both of which are meant to signal major epochs in the African integration project. Yet a dizzying cocktail of weak political will, limited intra-continental transport networks, restrictive visa regimes, insecure border crossings and high trade tariffs driven by rabid protectionism, and creeping xenophobia together present the greatest challenge to African Integration.
Featuring an eclectic mix of the continent’s leading thinkers, this panel explores these monumental steps on the journey towards integration by dissecting the prodigious pitfalls, and most importantly, outlining the potential benefits to the continent’s largest hope and demographic; its youth.