Debate on the prospects for continent-wide government in Africa is heating up ahead of the African Union (AU) summit that is scheduled to begin on 25 June in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. The gathering will focus on plotting a course towards full political and economic integration on the continent, a central goal of the AU. The dream of a 'United States of Africa' also underpinned the creation in 1963 of the union's predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity.