20100404
africanews

Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade has renewed calls for a United States of Africa. The West African leader, who was speaking at the inauguration of the African Renaissance monument, described the contentious multimillion dollar bronze statue as marking the moment for the continent to "take-off".
African renaissance monument
He said: “The slave traders have left, the last colonialist has left. We have no more excuses. We must seize this opportunity so that history does not repeat itself.”

According to President Wade, “The time has arrived for Africa to take-off”. He added that “after five centuries of ordeals, slavery, Africa is still there, folding sometimes, but never breaking. She is upright and resolute to take her future in hand.”

The Senegalese leader went on: “Only a political integration of the United States of Africa will shelter us from potentially fatal marginalization.” He said Africa is the world’s poorest continent which holds the richest economic potential.

Present at the ceremony were 19 heads of states from across the African continents as well as some of the continent’s states men, including former Nigerian leader, Olusegun Obasanjo, who cut a ribbon in the colors of the Senegalese flag. Also at the ceremony were the African Union chief, the head of the African Union Commission Jean Ping, the presidents of Benin, Cap Verde, the Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania and Zimbabwe.