Africa is the second largest continent on earth. It has a rich history, including many African kingdoms and states that ruled over huge areas. However, since European colonisation, Africa has been divided into nation states. Many see these states as arbitrary creations and a legacy of the colonial period. So, what would happen if African states started to join together? Will Africa ever unite as one country?
It is very unlikely that Africa would unite into one country. Political, social, economic and geographical divisions make uniting all of Africa into a single nation state almost impossible. Africa is also huge with an enormous population, making uniting all of Africa into a single nation almost certain not to happen.
Although Africa is unlikely to combine into one country, there are moves to better integrate African states. The African Union is the main political body that aims to bring together African states and better connect the continent. There are also inter-state organizations in Africa such as the East African Federation and the West and Central Economic and Monetary Unions.
Why Doesn’t Africa Become One Country?
There are several big reasons why Africa will not unite as one country. These include:
- Lack of political will
- Legacy of colonialism
- Difference between countries
- Cultural divisions
- Societal differences
Let’s look at each of these in a bit more detail…
Lack of Political Will
The first is a lack of political will or significant desire among the people in Africa for full unity. Although the ideas of Pan-Africanism may continue, the movement is past its peak. Now that African states have become stronger, richer and more cohesive since independence, many people in Africa identify more strongly with their nation state.
Legacy of Colonialism
A second reason why Africa will not become one country is because of the legacy of colonialism. When European powers conquered Africa, they divided the land into separate colonies. When these colonies got independence, many retained their boarders. This was done to prevent major conflicts occurring as African nations tried re-draw their boundaries. However, it also resulted in many different countries across Africa. This is now an impediment to Africa becoming one county as the division into separate nation states is now intrenched and seen as the precedent.
Difference Between Countries
Another major factor preventing Africa from unifying is the economic divisions across the continent. Africa has a wide range of countries with varied economies, levels of development, economic models and resources. Countries with vastly different economic performances are unlikely to unify, as the poorer nations would be an economic drag on the richer ones.
Cultural Divisions
A further reason why Africa won’t become one country is because of the cultural divisions across the continent. There is a huge divide between north Africa and ‘sub-Saharan Africa’. Then, within both regions, there are a wide range of divisions between different tribal, religious and ethnic groups. Africa is culturally incredibly diverse, which would make combining it into one country very difficult.
Societal Differences
A final reason why Africa will not unite into one nation is because of the big differences across African societies. Africa currently has 54 independent states each with their own histories, languages, politics and community make-ups. Bridging the societal differences of all African countries to unite them would be an almost impossible task. Essentially, although there is a lot that unites African countries, there is more that divides them.
How Could Africa Unite Into A Single Nation?
So, now we have gone over the some of the many reasons why Africa won’t unite into one country, let’s think about how, even if it is a tiny possibility, it could actually happen…
Africa could unite into a single nation if all countries in Africa formed a federation of states. Africa could also become a single country if one or more African states forcibly united the other countries on the continent through conquest. However, this is highly unlikely.
That’s an overview. Now let’s briefly look at each of these scenarios…
Regarding the first type of union – a lose federation of states. There are several ways this could happen. The most likely would be the through the existing African Union.
The AU has previously stated it wishes to move towards an EU-style united Africa. However, since the weaknesses of European integration became exposed from 2008 onwards, it has interestingly rowed back on this a bit.
The way that Africa could unite through the African Union would likely be similar to how the EU was formed.
A series of treaties would be signed between African countries that each progressively pooled more sovereignty. This process would likely take several decades and would move in incremental steps. However, it would result in an African Union that joined African nations together with common borders, currency and many laws being made centrally.
The only other option that’s plausible for Africa to unite as a federation would be for countries to first join into a group of more closely linked, but smaller federations, like the current East African Federation. If similar bodies were created for each African region, with each one pooling sovereignty for their member states, it could then be possible for these to link together creating one united Africa.
Now, for Africa to unite as one full country, it is unlikely to happen through confederation. This is because as states slowly merge together, they are likely to retain a degree of sovereignty. There is also likely to be a limit to how far countries want to integrate when uniting through confederation, as we have seen with the EU, and this would probably prevent Africa becoming one country this way.
This means the only real way Africa could unite as one country would be through military takeover. This would be very improbable. However, if one or more African countries were able to, through force, takeover the other countries on the continent, then conceivably Africa could become one country.
There are many, many, reasons why this almost certainly wouldn’t happen.
The huge army needed, the lack of political will, the enormous size of the continent, the scale of the war that would be needed to conquer all the countries in Africa and the fact that outside powers would be unlikely to let one or a group of countries conquer all the others are just some of the reasons why Africa would almost never be able to unite as one country by use of force.
The Benefits of a United Africa
Africa uniting could see many benefits for the continent. Importantly, most of the advantages African countries could get by uniting can be achieved be closer integration and not necessary by joining together to become one country. Some of main benefits of Africa uniting include:
- Increased global power
- Pooling of resources
- Enormous economy
- Increased collaboration
- Better connectivity
- Reducing exploitation
With that said, let’s go over some of the major benefits African nations could see by joining closer together…
Increased Global Power
The first major benefit Africa countries could get from being more united it through an increase in global power. Currently, Africa lacks a significant global reach and African states play a limited role in international diplomacy. A more united Africa could see an increase in its role around the world, allowing African countries to be more influential globally.
Pooling of Resources
Another benefit of a united Africa would be that countries could better pool their resources. Removing borders, decreasing bureaucracy and improving inter-connectivity would allow for countries in Africa to work together more. This would improve efficiency and boost productivity. If African countries joined together it could allow for better allocation of the continent’s resources.
Enormous Economy
A major advantage of a united Africa would be the size of its economy. Simply by combining the nation states of Africa together it would increase the size of the African economy relative to the rest of the world. There could also be economic gains from uniting that could further boost the economy of the continent. The larger African economy that would result from unification would be significant benefit to the countries of Africa.
Increased Collaboration
A further advantage of Africa becoming one country, or becoming more united, is that it would allow for a better exchange of ideas, education and thinking. Currently Africa relies heavily on technological innovation from outside the continent and many leading students’ study abroad. By uniting, Africa could better develop locations that can pull talent from across the continent, as well as use its increased resources to further education and development.
Better Connectivity
A big issue Africa faces is a lack of connectivity. Road, rail and flight infrastructure is lacking across the continent. A benefit of unification could be an improvement in connectivity through a more centralized and planned allocation of infrastructure. Improving road, rail and air connections across Africa, as well as tele-communications, would see a significant boost to Africa’s economy and could be a major advantage of unification.
Reducing Exploitation
A final advantage of a united Africa would be its ability to determine the terms of trade, economic partnerships and its role in the wider global economy. Currently, African nations are at risk of exploitation by other countries as they lack the economic power and require the funds they receive in aid and in exchange for their natural resources. The scale of a united Africa, if it became one country, would mean it could better negotiate, advocate and dictate stronger terms with trading partners.
How Powerful Would a United Africa Be?
We know there would be some benefits to Africa uniting. Many of these could be gained by better integration between African nations, rather than needing to be joined together as one country. However, if Africa did become one country, how powerful would it actually be?
A united Africa would a significant global power. With a huge population, large economy and young population, a united Africa would be among the strongest countries in the world.
…but that’s just an over, let’s go into some detail…
The continent of Africa has a total population of 1.2 billion people. If every country on the continent joined to form one nation, that would be the total population of that country. 1.2 billion people would make Africa a massive country population wise. However, Africa combined still has a smaller population that China (1.39 billion) and India (1.33 billion). If Africa became one country, it would have the third largest population in the world, above the USA, which has a population of 332 million.
The total GBP of Africa is 2.6 trillion USD. If Africa united, this would likely be the GDP for an African country. A united African country would be the 8th richest in the world. It would have a higher total GDP than Canada (1.8 trillion USD) but smaller than Italy (2.9 trillion). This would make a single African nation relatively rich by world standards. However, to put it into perspective, the USA has a total GBP of 21.4 trillion USD. A united Africa would only be about one tenth its size.
Although a united Africa would be the 8th richest country in the world, considering its size and population, it would still be a poor country. On average, Africa as a continent as a GDP per person of 1,970 USD. This is likely what the average African would earn if all the countries joined together. This is about the same as the average Indian earns (1980 USD per capita). A united Africa’s size and scale would make it wealthy, but its individual citizens would generally remain pretty poor.
If all the countries in Africa came together, its biggest strength would be in its economic growth. Africa currently has some of world’s fastest growing economies. Overall, the continent had economic growth of 3.7% in 2019. This is huge compared to Europe’s growth of 1.2% for the same period. It could be argued that a single African nation could further capitalise on the continent’s economic growth. This could make a united Africa a powerful country on the world stage if economic growth at this pace continued.
A final point on how powerful a united Africa could be is that it would, by far, be the largest country in the world geographically. The continent of Africa is 30.37 million square kilometers. This is nearly twice the size of Russia (17.13 million Km2) and three times the size of China (9.5 million Km2) and the USA (9.8 million Km2). Simply a nation this big would make a united Africa a powerful country globally.
Could There Be A United States of Africa?
The idea of a United States of Africa has a long history. The term is often attributed to the poet Marcus Garvey. He wrote in the 1920s and was influential for many post-colonial African leaders. The concept of a United States of Africa is also linked to the theory of Pan-Africanism, which aims to strengthen ties between all people of African descent.
Bizarrely, the idea of a United States of Africa was given renewed prominence in 2009 when Colonial Ghaddafi of Libya was elected Chairman of the African Union. He regularly stated that he believed in a United States of Africa and even made proposals for a single African army, currency and free movement between African countries. However, Ghaddafi was not seen a credible figurehead by many and few African leaders signed-up to his proposals.
Although there have been many theories about a United States of Africa, in reality it would be unlikely to occur. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the independent nations of Africa would need to come together into a formal union. Although the African Union aims to bring African countries together, it originally modelled itself on the European Union, not on the United States.
Another reason there is unlikely to be a United States of Africa is because many countries in Africa would be unwilling to sign-up to such a close union. A United States of Africa would pool all sovereignty and power into a single government. Realistically most countries are not going to agree to this. Most attempts to create united countries (such as the United Arab Republic) failed because nations did not want to relinquish their own governments.
An important thing to consider when thinking about how a United States of Africa could come about is the very different histories of the United States of America and Africa. The colonisation of North America was done by one country, with limited differences between the colonial settlements. This made gaining independence as one country and building a single nation easier.
On the other hand, Africa was colonised by many countries, and each country managed its possessions separately. This meant combining all the countries of Africa together to form one United States of Africa much less probable. Colonialism in Africa also worked to emphasize the differences between African people, further making uniting after independence difficult.
These are just a couple of reasons why a United States of Africa is almost certain not to happen. There are many more!
Although it is unlikely that all African states would join together to form a United States of Africa, there are several movements within Africa to create federations of states. These are currently looser ties between states with national governments retaining more sovereignty. However, they could, conceivably, progress to form multiple strong, united federations within Africa.
The East African Federation is a key example of African states coming together. It is made up currently of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Although a much looser arrangement than a formal United States, the East African Federation could, conceivably, progress towards closer union.
As well as the East African Federation, there are also two economic unions in Africa. The West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) is made up of eight African states – Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Guinea-Bissau. The countries share a single currency and have close economic ties. The UEMOA is an even looser arrangement than between the states in the East African Federation. However, like the former, there is a chance in the future of closer ties and a move towards a more united states model.
Similar to the UEMOA is the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa. This combines 11 African states, six of which share a single currently – the Central African Franc. Like the West African Union, the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa aims to draw together the economies of several African nations. It is not a formal federation. However, if efforts were made for closer ties, it is conceivable a United States of Africa could be made of these countries.
Finally, some African countries, such as Eritrea, Ghana, Senegal and Zimbabwe have previously expressed interests in the concept of a United States of Africa. However, key African countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa have come out against the idea. Crucially, these are some of the largest economies on the continent. Many North African countries have also made moves against the idea, aligning themselves more closely with other Arab states.