Africa Must Unite Review : Kwame Nkrumah

In this book, Africa Must Unite, Dr Nkrumah paints a vivid picture of how Africa could become an economic giant through communications, industrial and commercial integration. He argues that without political integration there cannot be economic integration. To use his own words, he says “African Unity is, above all a political kingdom which can only be gained by political means. The social and economic development of Africa will come only within the political kingdom not the other way round”. Dr Nkrumah argues that colonialism prevented Africa from accumulating capital, which is required to industrialise Africa and to overcome this unite and pool our resources together for our common good.

Dr Nkrumah also presents other benefits of Africa uniting such as gaining a powerful voice in the international political arena, building a strong defence to provide safety for all citizens, stopping conflicts brought about the introduction of colonial boundaries and de-tribalizing Africa.

In his call for African Unity he was grounded in the ideology of Pan-Africanism. According to him, the concept of Pan-Africanism is not a racial concept although, like former President Senghor of Senegal, he insists that all Africans have something in common. He reminds his readers that Africans had similar experiences through history. Nkrumah says, “all persons of African descent have suffered political and economic exploitation, as well as social degradation, which has intensified our sense of fellowship and brotherhood”.

Even though this book was written over 5 decades ago, it is more relevant than ever. Africa is a continent at odds with itself. Though rich in natural resources, economic malaise, poverty and conflicts remains rife. The honours lies with the young generation to take up Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s call for unity. We either unite or perish. Africa we are one.