A Multi-dimensional Continent

Message of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Professor Alpha Oumar Konaré, for the New Year 2008.

"Africa welcomes the New Year 2008 with more confidence and commitment. A very promising New Year for the concretisation of our efforts for unity.

On this Day of joy , I feel very proud and pleased to share my feelings with you all, especially with the younger African generations, within the continent and in the Diaspora, as well as all those who have committed themselves on a daily basis for the consolidation of the future of Africa.

Our hopes today are nourished by our past successes. The African Union has, in effect, succeeded in recording major accomplishments, four years only after its birth, by bringing together all the African people, to discuss the issue of the United States of Africa.

We remain, however, convinced that only the audacious and brave implementation of our common project will leave our mark in the tumultuous and hasty trend of history and would help us to master the outcome of our continent, which still remains complex and fragile.

The concretisation of our will to transform our organisation into an African Union of people, by the effective involvement of the Civil Society, the Private Sector, intellectuals and media representatives, and also the need to ensure justice, and give more attention to women, youth and the Diaspora, as an integral part of Africa, is our unique way of ensuring an Africa fit for our people to live a better life.


Regardless of the great changes and the successes we have achieved, our continent’s situation needs, more than ever, efforts from everyone in order to attain human development as well as the economic and social well-being. We also have to refuse to remain as we are and should be inspired by the glorious victories of our people during the great battles of the previous century against colonisation and apartheid.

Our current battle against underdevelopment, pandemics, ignorance, marginalization and indecent life, pushes us to set up a strategy of action, enforcement and responsibility. This requires true unity, fault-proof solidarity as well as many sacrifices and abnegation.

We shall also be required to enter into new alliances with the other people and governments of the world, and to strengthen those already in place, in the name of a united Africa, from North to South, from East to West; an Africa neither black nor white, neither occidental nor oriental, neither sub- nor upper Saharan; A multi-dimensional Continent.

I rejoice over our promising results and wish to seize this opportunity to address my compliments and encouragement to all the children of Africa who work for the glory and greatness of the Continent.

Happy New Year 2008 to each and everyone."

Alpha Oumar Konaré

Addis Ababa, December 31, 2007

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