HOW AFRICAN LEADERS CAN HELP UNITE THE CONTINENT'S YOUTH TODAY!

As Nkrumah's Ghana celebrates Republic Day today, one hopes that Africa's present leaders, now attending the African Union (AU) Summit Meeting in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, will take a number of measures, which will empower Africa's youth in very practical ways - in furtherance of the African Unity project.

A scholarship fund to which Africa's brightest and best of the younger generation, can apply for full scholarships to enable them study outside their own home countries', in African universities in nations across the continent, is long overdue.

Africa's present leaders must all contribute their nations' widow's mite to enable the AU set up such a scholarship fund.

And since they are meeting in an oil-producing nation, perhaps they can ask some of the oil companies now benefiting from a pan-African footprint, and which are good corporate citizens of the nations they have a presence in, such as Tullow Oil, to also donate to such a fund.

The continent's leaders must ensure that it is established as soon as it is practicable to do so. For, it will make it possible for many of the next generation of African leaders, to have a world-view, which makes them see the benefits of a strong United States of Africa.

Another practical measure Africa's leaders can implement today, is to relax continental travel and to encourage intra-African migration of skilled individuals.

By making that possible, they can leverage the many benefits of the pre-colonial free movement of African peoples, which made possible the cross-fertilisation of ideas and cultures, which produced the great empires and kingdoms of ancient times, to help bring a United States of Africa into being.

One of the most effective ways that Africa's current leaders and the continental body, the AU, can help lay a solid foundation for eventually uniting the nations of Africa, will be to allow the citizens of all AU member-nations, visa-free entry to, and the right to settle permanently, in any part of Africa they so wish.

The only requirement would be that such individuals present themselves to police and immigration officials, in the nations they wish to visit or settle in, within three days of their arrival - for documentation by police and immigration officials.

This will prevent criminals in the continent developing a continent-wide network and footprint - as such information about citizens taking advantage of the special privilege to travel and settle anywhere in Africa, will be shared by police and immigration officials in all AU member-nations.

If that is done, young Ghanaians (without criminal records!), for example, can travel to live and work legitimately elsewhere - as can law-abiding young people from other nations in the continent come to live and work in Ghana, legitimately.

That will spread cross-border friendships amongst young Africans and help the continent's youth understand each other better - all of which will forster closer and more friendly ties between nations on the continent.

It is such cross-border friendships and relationships amongst young Africans, which will ensure that the African Unity project eventually evolves from being just a pan-Africanist dream, into the birth of a strong, viable, proud and democratic United States of Africa. And may it happen one day, in the not too distant future.

Tel (powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109.