While debating the future of Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa, henceforth) and the adoption of the Charter of the OAU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1963, the founding fathers of African independence expressed a collective determination to unite for a better life for the peoples of Africa, emphasizing the need to respect their rights as citizens. However, they simultaneously overlooked the importance of including Africans extensively in discussions about the merits and flaws of their future Constitution (the charter of the OAU). This raises a critical question: If African nationalist leaders successfully united Africans in their struggles for independence, what does it signify that they denied them the opportunity to fully engage in post-independence institution buildings? It is time to reflect on these actions and ensure that our current leaders prioritize inclusivity and active participation of citizens in shaping the destiny of Sub-Saharan Africa for the benefit of its people and generations to come.

In a remarkable parallel to African States, the United States also faced significant challenges in its early days. After securing independence from Britain, the original thirteen states recognized that the union needed improvement. This realization led to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, where pressing questions were tackled, deep disagreements were resolved, and a consensus was forged through nearly five months of intense discussions behind closed doors. Thanks to the unwavering determination, bravery, and patriotism of the American Founding Fathers, a new nation emerged, now known today as the United States of America. An American scholar aptly noted that the critical factor in establishing this new nation was the leadership of those remarkable men known as the Founding Fathers. It is time for our leaders to imperatively embrace this spirit of leadership and collaboration and patriotism as we strive for unity and progress  in our own journey to collective self-reliance and a complete independence.

Leaders of Africa experienced their own Philadelphia Moment but ultimately fell short of realizing the potential harvest of unity. The Charter of the Organization of African Unity was signed by the founding fathers of African independence in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1963, and approved by Heads of States and Governments of the thirty-two newly independent African States on May 25, 1963, echoing the momentous signing of the United States Constitution by the framers in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. Both the Charter of the OAU and the American Constitution emerged from groups of states formerly under European colonial rule, yet a striking difference remains: while the American Founding Fathers demonstrated the courage, vision, and perseverance necessary to forge a new path, the African leaders who signed the OAU Charter in 1963 failed to encapsulate that same spirit of resolve and commitment to Pan African Unity. It is essential now more than ever for our current leaders to embrace this legacy, harness their collective strength, and actively work towards turning the vision of unity into tangible achievements for Sub-Saharan Africa and its people.

The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, which produced the American Constitution in 1787, spanned nearly five months from May 25  to September 17, 1787,  allowing the American people to engage in full, free, and extensive debates over its merits and flaws before ratification. In stark contrast, the Addis Ababa Convention that created the African Charter lasted only four days, from May 22 – 25, 1963, denying Africans the same opportunities for discussion and involvement. As a result, even after sixty years of African independence, most Africans remain largely unaware of the African Constitution, known as the Charter of the OAU. Similarly, the Constitutive Act of the African Union, established in 2000 as a successor to the OAU Charter, was adopted behind closed doors by African leaders and self-serving elites without public discourse, leading to a continued lack of awareness among the African populace regarding its significance even two decades later.

Nearly all  Resolutions and Declarations that have been propagated and propounded over the past six decades have originated from leaders of Africa and self-serving indigenous elites, “the virtual co-conspirators in under developing sub-Saharan Africa and betraying its citizens”,  but not from citizens of Sub-Saharan Africa, the stakeholders. As a result, most Sub-Saharan Africans know very little about the nature and aims of these Declarations and Resolutions adopted by their leaders on their behalf. The African Charter adopted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1963, represented the work of the founding fathers of the OAU, marking a unique and supreme opportunity in African history. The missteps at the Addis Ababa Meeting in 1963, coupled with a persistent lack of visionary leadership to rectify those missteps, have been the most significant contributing factors to the challenges faced by Sub-Saharan Africa in the post-independence era, shaping it into the most impoverished, unstable, unsecure, and the most underdeveloped region of the world, despite its abundant human and natural resource potentials.

Like the American Founding Fathers, the founding fathers of the Organization of African Unity now African Union should have seized the historic moment at Addis Ababa in 1963 just as their American counterparts did in Philadelphia in 1787. They should have pushed harder against initial resistances and persisted in overcoming their rivalries and divisions and selfish interests for the pursuit of the common good. They should have heeded Nkrumah’s call to establish the foundations for political unity at Addis Ababa in 1963. Most leaders of Africa at the Addis Ababa Convention in 1963 confirmed that unity is the aspiration of all their citizens and that they must unite to meet the expectations of their citizens, Yet they failed to take action to unite.

All continental projects that we still debate today, including the so-called Agenda 2063, a Common Market or deeper economic integration, a joint military command, or an African Central Bank, could have become a reality decades ago if the founding fathers of the OAU and their successors had embodied the same persistence, courage, and patriotism as the Founding Fathers of America, resulting in a better world for Africans. While the true outcomes of uniting sub-Saharan Africa and fostering development based on its own skills and resources remain unknown, it is clear that leaders in Addis Ababa in 1963 denied their citizens their rights, and current leaders continue to do so, even after sixty years of independence from colonial rule. Therefore, Sub-Saharan Africans are not free yet; their institutions and leaders  have long failed to provide basic security for their citizens;  they have for a long time failed to meet the social and economic needs of all Sub-Saharan Africans; they have for a long time failed to guarantee peace and stability across sub-Saharan Africa; they have for a long time failed to  deliver the social and economic infrastructure essential for improving lives, despite the region’s vast human and natural resource potential.

Now, it is time for action. Now, the people of Sub-Saharan Africa are calling on their leaders to display courage and patriotism and rectify historical missteps by enabling the people to actively participate in successful historic referendum on the long-held collective aspiration for unity among Sub-Saharan African states. A triumphant Sub-Saharan Referendum on unity will ignite an extraordinary awakening among Sub-Saharan Africans, revealing the profound joy and freedom that lie ahead. With this newfound empowerment, they will tap into their immense potential and envision a vibrant future filled with endless possibilities. This realization will motivate them to understand that the path to complete independence, self-sustaining development, and a fulfilling life is firmly in their grasp and resides in the heart of Sub-Saharan Africa, liberated from the weight of external aid, debt, and outside influences. Click the link below to explore the inspiring speeches on unity delivered by the founding fathers of African independence in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1963.

Read Speeches for Unity from 1963