Dr Eric Oduro-Osae, a Governance Expert, says African leaders must formulate one constitution using the African Charter to fast-track the integration and socio-economic development of the continent.

Dr Oduro-Osae, who is also the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research of the Institute of Local Government Studies, said this could be achieved through a referendum.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, on Wednesday, he said African countries must formulate a short to medium term agenda such as ‘Agenda 2027’ that would rally the resources of the continent to achieve its objectives.

He said Africa must have one political leader, one military force and one currency just like the European Union so that they could trade among themselves.

“We shouldn’t listen to the French, the Americans and the Arabs but we must be proactive and come up with our own model of developing our continent as Africans,” he said.

Dr Oduro-Osae said African countries had allowed themselves to be dictated to by the global superpowers and former colonial masters and that had not helped the cause of its integration and development.

He said Africans were just celebrating the AU Day for celebrating sake but it had not achieved its objectives and called for proactive approach by alienating themselves from their former colonial masters.

Asked whether the Agenda 2063 Sustainable Development Agenda formulated by the African countries would not achieve the objectives of Agenda 2027, he said the Agenda 2063 which had 50 years plan was too long and would not fast-track the continent’s development.

He noted that Africa should be proactive to achieve the objectives of the AU, which intended to accelerate the integration of the continent in order to address multifaceted social, economic and political challenges.

This year’s AU Day is on the theme: “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth.”

The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was established by the African countries on May 25, 1963 but it was replaced by the AU on May 26, 2001 with the objective of accelerating Africa’s integration economically, politically, culturally and socially in resolving the continent’s challenges.

The AU Day is observed on May 25 every year across the 55 member countries as statutory holiday and marked with public symposia, lectures, quiz competitions, clean-up exercise among other public activities.