Why the creation of a specific United States of Sub-Saharan Africa is necessary

The broader the spectrum, the less likely it is to bring people together. The overly broad framework of the African Union (AU) prevents it from uniting people, and its multiple objectives have led to 60 years of stagnation. We must therefore avoid repeating the same mistakes. The direction must be precise and the vision clear.

Belonging to the same continent does not automatically motivate all countries to unite. Take the United States, for example, which does not include Canada, Mexico, Cuba, or other countries in Central and South America. An economic union of states with mostly differing interests is rarely beneficial to all of its member countries. Economic, historical, cultural, sociological, and geopolitical parameters must be taken into account. The framework of a sub-Saharan African union therefore seems more appropriate.

Similarly, the political or ideological axis of Europe-Mediterranean-Africa development, often advocated by French politicians whose interests or ties to the Maghreb countries have sometimes been demonstrated, raises questions. This lobbying, also carried out by the European Union but also by the United States of America with a US-Maghreb-Africa axis, promotes the creation of technological, industrial, and financial hubs on the southern shore of the Mediterranean. However, it may seem inappropriate as it is likely to establish an economic, political, and religious hierarchy between the Arab countries of the north of the continent and those of sub-Saharan Africa. It is unclear whether sub-Saharan Africans appreciate these maneuvers and the obvious preference.

To stabilize sub-Saharan Africa, a balance must first be restored. The few Mediterranean countries concerned have less than 100 million inhabitants, while the 48 sub-Saharan countries have a population 13 times larger and an area four times greater. However, neither the Mediterranean countries nor the international institutions nor the Europe-Africa conferences, which maintain confusion between the regions of this immense continent, have ever been mandated by the 1.3 billion inhabitants of the sub-Saharan states to speak on behalf of the whole of Africa and thus subject their industrialization and development to the whims of political powers with conflicting interests. This policy reflects a Western misunderstanding of Africa and an outdated vision that resembles colonialism by proxy. It accentuates a divide that has been observed for several years. Of course, one could argue that large companies set up shop where the safety of their personnel is best assured, but the EUAS/USSA provide solutions.

Francis Journot is a consultant, entrepreneur, and economic researcher. He is the founder of the United States of Sub-Saharan Africa project and the Program for the Industrialization of Sub-Saharan Africa, or Africa Atlantic Axis. He is also the initiator of the International Convention for a Global Minimum Wage.