Twenty years ago, more than 800 delegates attended the First Conference of Intellectuals and the Diaspora held in Dakar, Senegal. One of those delegates was the Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, President of the Commission on Diplomacy and International Relations of the International Preparatory Committee of the Pan African Federalist Movement who was then serving as Senegal's Minister of Foreign Affairs. Molefi K Asante recalls,
"the African Union, under the leadership of President Alpha Konare organized the Conference of African and Diasporan Intellectuals in Dakar, Senegal, October 6-9, 2004. A second conference was held in Salvador, Brazil, in July 11-14, 2006. Taken together, these were the most comprehensive meetings of African intellectuals ever undertaken. . . . It is remarkable that a group of African intellectuals from the continent and the diaspora can still come together around common Afrocentric and Pan-African themes and plan a renissance, to use the term first called for by Cheikh Anta Diop in 1948 and then underscored by Thabo Mbeki in 2002, that will sort out the best practices of African history and use them for the future growth and achievement of African society. This is what happened at both the Conference of Intellectuals of Africa and the Diaspora (CIAD) events. Inspired by the call for renaissance and supported financially by Senegal and Libya, the first CIAD was broadly international with vast representation from all segments of the African population. In one sense, the Senegalese and the Libyans were the key initiators of thsi powerful movement. However, it was also the willingness and the capacity of the African Union under President Alpha Konare to organize this venture that caught the imagination of many of the attendees. This was far more massive than any of the historic Pan-African Congresses and created a synergy among Africans from Cuba to Peru, from Libya to South Africa, from Costa Rica to Japan, from Ethiopia to France, that was incredible in its potential for action. . . . The first conference was clearly more ideological in its stance toward the African renaissance. I think this is owed to the fact that Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, the very able foreign minister of Senegal and several ministers from progressinve African nations were willing to urge members of the intellectual communities to think critically and imaginatively about the future of an African Resurgent and prosperous,"
According to the Final Report of the First Conference of Intellectuals and the Diaspora,
"The Concept of a United States of Africa (USA) was interrogated:
58. It focused on two questions on what did a USA mean for Africa?
a) What is the process of building the United States of Africa?
b) What is the process for establishing the constitution of United States of Africa (USA)?
• The concept of United States of Africa is a legacy of the founding fathers of Pan Africanism. It is the ultimate political integration of Africa. However, its content is varied and needs to be debated, in order to arrive at a consensus on the acceptable model.
• The process of establishing the constitution of the United States of Africa is already underway. A second Draft Constitution is in circulation, while a 3rd Draft is anticipated in May 2005 (see ACSO doc.). The Conference of African Intellectuals and the Diaspora should catalyze the process of establishing the constitution of the United States of Africa, as part of the follow-up mechanism of this forum.
The Diaspora as a 6th Region of the AU was proposed:
59. The question on how to structure the Diaspora to make it as the 6th region was raised. To that effect:
• There is need to establish a representative body including the major regions of the world.
• 20 Diaspora organizations will be part of ECOSOCC, the advisory body of the African Union.
• There is a need to clearly define the Diaspora. - First generation or ancient Diaspora or African-American; - Second generation or new African Diaspora." [Click here for a compilation of documents on the development of the African Union Diaspora Initiative]
Among the recommendations was,
"h) To promote the concept of the United States of Africa and initiate/launch the debate in order to reach a consensus on an acceptable model."
Three years after the First Conference of Intellectuals and the Diaspora, Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio gave a speech on the Future Union of African States (United States of Africa) by the during the World Congress of Pan-African Conference, also held in Dakar, Senegal in December, 2007.
Our Cause, “the urgent need to unite politically the African States in less than a generation” was launched in February 2015 in Dakar by the Provisional International Initiative Committee (CIIP) and was confirmed to be viable by the Pre-First Pan African Federalist Congress meeting held in Accra, Ghana from 8th to 13th December 2018. Since then, the PAFM has been in the forefront in the process of establishing the United African States (UAS) through the International Preparatory Committee (IPC) that is convening the First Pan African Federalist Congress scheduled for 2027.
In 2024, the PAFM launched its Leadership Training program designed to establish National Coordinating Committees across the globe that will hold National Preparatory Constitutive General Assemblies that will then take responsibilty for convening and sending delegates to the First Pan African Federalist Congress in 2027.
To take part in the construction of the United African States, the first step is to join the movement by completing the Call to Action and then registering for leadership training.
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