PanAfrica-Ghana Proposes Continental Union Government, Single African Currency and Common African Market

PanAfrica-Ghana (PAG) has proposed a broad continental integration agenda aimed at accelerating African unity, strengthening economic independence and laying the foundation for a future Union Government of Africa.

The proposal was contained in an official position paper presented by Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi, musician, writer and rural planner, who is the Founding President of PanAfrica-Ghana (PAG) and the Prodigy International Productions Association (PIPA).

Under the theme “African Unity Can Be Achieved — Let Us Champion It to the Core!”, PAG is calling on Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora, as well as friends of Africa, to support the proposed initiatives.

The organisation is proposing 2028 as the target year for the launch of four interconnected initiatives in Ghana and West Africa. These are the Healing Africa Tour (HAT), the Give Your Heart To Africa Consolidated Relief Fund (GYHTACRF), the Global Pan-African Congress (GPAC) and the Africa Family Re-Union Jam Benefit Concerts (AFREJABEC).

According to PAG, the initiatives are intended to advance continental unity while paying living tribute to the founding fathers of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which has since evolved into the African Union (AU).

The organisation says the 2028 programme would come 128 years after the First Pan-African Congress held in London in 1900.

PAG said the founders of the OAU understood that unity and peace among independent African states were essential to the continent’s political, social, cultural and economic progress.

It cited Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and his famous position that Ghana’s independence would have little meaning unless it was connected to the liberation of the African continent.

The OAU was established on May 25, 1963, before eventually being transformed into the African Union.

PAG argues that while Africa has made significant progress in achieving political independence, the continent still faces questions surrounding economic independence and its ability to translate political freedom into improved living standards.

The position paper identifies five broad objectives associated with continental cooperation: strengthening unity among African states, improving living standards, defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states, combating colonialism and neo-colonialism, and promoting international cooperation and human rights.

PAG, however, poses a central question: how can these objectives be translated into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Africans, including traders, farmers and workers?

The organisation identifies two possible approaches to achieving African unity.

The first is to allow individual countries to solve their national challenges before addressing continental integration.

The second is to tackle the continental challenge first and establish a framework within which national problems can progressively be addressed.

PAG supports the second approach, arguing that Africa’s founding fathers were right to pursue continental unity.

The organisation also points to previous discussions on an African Union Government, including initiatives and committees that examined the concept in the early 2000s.

According to PAG, Africa needs to develop its own model of integration rather than simply copying existing political structures elsewhere in the world.

It argues that no single African country can adequately withstand global economic pressures on its own and that deeper integration is therefore necessary.

Despite its call for a continental government, PAG acknowledges that significant obstacles stand in the way.

These include the existence of more than 50 sovereign African states with different political systems and cultures, concerns among governments about surrendering aspects of national sovereignty and limited resources available to continental institutions.

Rather than demanding an immediate political merger, PAG proposes a gradualist roadmap.

It wants existing institutions and regional organisations strengthened and used as building blocks towards deeper political and economic integration.

Among the institutions identified are the African Union Commission, Pan-African Parliament, Executive Council, NEPAD and regional economic communities and blocs, including ECOWAS, SADC, COMESA, UMA and AES.

PAG also places culture at the centre of its proposed integration strategy.

It argues that Africa’s diverse cultural traditions should become tools for unity rather than sources of division.

Through the proposed Healing Africa Tour, the organisation intends to identify what it describes as cultural “knots” that create difficulties among Africans.

One issue raised is whether African countries can develop shared principles around marriage and family systems, including courtship, dowry, weddings, divorce and widowhood.

PAG argues that harmonising certain cultural practices could make movement and interaction among Africans easier and potentially contribute to greater economic integration.

A major component of the proposal is economic integration.

PAG is questioning why African countries trading with neighbouring states often have to rely on currencies such as the US dollar or British pound.

It is therefore proposing the creation of an African Common Market, with priority given to intra-African trade.

The organisation is also calling for the creation of a single African currency, which it refers to as the CUSA, arguing that a continental currency could reduce dependence on external currencies.

PAG further wants Africa to have greater control over the pricing of its natural resources.

It questions why commodities such as cocoa, gold and diamonds continue to have major price-determination centres outside Africa.

The position paper proposes the establishment of an African Diamond Bank, Gold Bullion Bank and African Diamond Market on African soil.

PAG is also calling for a stronger continental identity.

It argues that Africans generally identify themselves first by nationality — such as Ghanaian, Nigerian or Ethiopian — rather than primarily as Africans.

The organisation therefore proposes that  African become the primary continental identity while national identities continue to exist.

As part of this proposal, PAG wants an AU African Passport that would facilitate continental movement and symbolise African identity.

It has also proposed what it calls a Border Post Account.

Under the idea, a percentage of revenues generated from fees at African border posts would be channelled into a central account managed through the AU Commission.

PAG suggests that 50 per cent of border revenue across Africa could be deposited into the account, potentially creating a major source of funding for continental programmes.

The organisation believes such a mechanism could make ordinary traders direct contributors to African integration and give citizens a stronger sense of ownership of the Union.

At the centre of the position paper is the proposal to transform the African Union into what PAG calls the Continental Union States of Africa (CUSA), which it simply describes as Africa.

Under the proposed structure, sitting African Heads of State would, at an appropriate stage, transition into full-time members of a Great African Parliament.

The proposed parliament would constitute an Electoral College responsible for electing a President of Africa, Vice President of Africa, African Cabinet members, ambassadors and representatives to international bodies.

PAG says the Great African Parliament would also be expected to establish several key continental institutions, including:

An African Constitution

A common currency known as CUSA

An African Stock Exchange

An African Diamond Bank and Gold Bullion Bank

African Border Post Accounts

An African High Command

An African Court of Justice

An African Common Market

Under the proposed system, individual member states would retain Prime Ministers as heads of government, but they would be accountable to the African President and operate under a single continental constitution.

PAG’s proposal also addresses military interventions and political divisions across Africa.

It wants an African High Command under which national armed forces would swear allegiance to the continental constitution and serve as its custodians.

The organisation argues that this system could help prevent unconstitutional changes of government and ensure that political transitions take place democratically and constitutionally.

PAG also proposes limiting continental political competition to three political parties.

Each party, according to the proposal, would be required to establish branches in all member states.

The organisation compares the proposed model to football clubs, where people from different ethnic and national backgrounds can support the same team.

To build public support for the agenda, PAG says it will launch the Musicians On Pan Africa Tour (MOPATOUR) Campaign.

The campaign is expected to use music and cultural activities to advocate for African unity, sensitise citizens and mobilise resources for the proposed agenda through the AU and regional blocs.

PAG describes the overall initiative as a people’s agenda, stressing that its success would depend on Africans and friends of Africa supporting the organising process.

The organisation has invited comments, criticisms and contributions from the public as it develops the proposals.

The position paper was presented by Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi, Founding President of PanAfrica-Ghana (PAG) and Prodigy International Productions Association (PIPA), and Project Coordinator, musician and rural planner.

Peter Raymond Zwennes, Esq., listed as the legal representative for PAG and PIPA, is based at Chesterfield Close, Kpehe-Accra.

The document has been distributed to the AU Commission Chairperson and Deputy, African Heads of State, Pan-African Parliament, NEPAD, the UN Secretary-General, UNESCO, Ghana’s Presidency and Parliament leadership, the AU Diaspora Mission Ghana, the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre and the Pan African Writers Association.