Cotonou: Nassirou Arifari-Bako dismantles the myth of African unity
Invited as a resource person by the Institute of Artisans of Justice and Peace (IAJP), former Beninese Foreign Affairs Minister, Nassirou Arifari Bako, delivered an uncompromising presentation on the flaws of political sovereignty in Africa on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
Speaking at the conference hall of the Chant d’Oiseau in Cotonou, he openly doubted the viability of African unity, which he describes as a utopia.
Under the theme “Sovereignty of political power in Africa: between African unity and impotence of African leaders?”, the former head of Beninese diplomacy made a grim assessment.
For him, African states, despite their proclaimed independence, are still struggling to exercise full and complete sovereignty. He pointed out several weakening factors: economic dependence, political alignment with external interests, delegation of security to foreign partners, and symbolic weight of the CFA franc.
According to Arifari Bako, this structural frailty renders any attempt at continental unification futile. “Without strong states, there are no strong regional institutions,” he said, arguing that the foundations on which the African Union rests are too unstable to produce lasting results.
He also criticized the institutional mechanisms of African unity, believing they are often designed outside the continent and imposed on Africans.
“They want to create African unity with instruments whose design, institutionalization, were not the doing of Africans themselves,” he lamented.
His remarks sparked lively discussions and renewed reflection on the real conditions for authentic African sovereignty. A speech that revives the debate on the future of African unity, at a time when security, economic, and political challenges are multiplying.
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