The following artivle from the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation site was seen at http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=43548 (thanks to a Google alert). There were several articles on the African Union Assembly in late June and early July which mentioned the Kenyan president's proposal to promote Swahili as an intraAfrican language. Don
President Kibaki calls for adoption of Kiswahili as Africa's common language Written By:PPS , Posted: Tue, Jul 03, 2007 Caption: President Mwai Kibaki makes his contribution on the grand debate on the Union Government at the 9th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Accra, Ghana. President Mwai Kibaki has called on the promotion of Kiswahili as a common language that will assist in nurturing greater unity and cooperation amongst African people, saying the language has now been adopted as one of the working languages of the African Union. Reiterating the need for creating a Pan African language for unifying the continent, President Kibaki said it is the way forward in redressing anomalies that were created as a result of colonial borders that divided people who were previously bound by language, culture and other common linkages. Emphasizing the need for the people to move freely within the continent to exchange ideas and create opportunities for themselves in business, education, and other areas that will improve the quality of their lives, President Kibaki proposed on having an African passport in order to ease mobility with the continent. He, therefore, said while the creation of a supranational union will require enormous resources and consensus on the modalities of achieving such a goal, President Kibaki stated that views of non-state actors and common citizenry are of paramount importance because the desired Union Government must be a Union of African people, and not merely a Union of States and Governments. Toward this end, President Kibaki said his Government has undertaken sensitization initiatives of the various stakeholders and, more recently, held an Experts Conference as well as a public forum to deliberate on the proposed Continental Union Government. Said President Kibaki, "Most of the participants stressed that Africa needs to unite and that the formation of an African Union Government must espouse the African people's vision and values. Indeed, the general consensus was that a Union Government would accelerate growth and development by allowing free movement of people, goods and services across the continent". President Kibaki was speaking Monday on the occasion of the grand debate on a Union Government during the 9th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Union Heads of State and Government in Accra, Ghana. Reiterating the need to accelerate integration through the Regional Economic Communities as the building blocs of a united Africa, President Kibaki said that the East African Community has made major strides in the integration process noting that already the customs union is operational and will be followed by a common market, a monetary union and ultimately a political federation, envisaged to be realized by 2013. He added that the recent admission of Rwanda and Burundi into the Community will add impetus in the realization of the regional objectives. Saying there is need to safeguard the interests of Africa in the international arena, the Head of State called for an urgent formulation and adoption of a common position on issues relating to international negotiation. " A United Africa will offer a larger market with a bigger natural and human resource base. Presently, most of our countries have small economies that have been unable to attract significant investment and trade," President Kibaki said. Added President Kibaki, "However while our current population of 832 million constitutes only 13 percent of the world population, African nations still enjoy some of the highest population growth rates. It is predicted that our population will reach 1.5 billion by 2030". In addition, President Kibaki said so as to reap benefits of a wide market, the unification of the continent will enable Africans to utilize their national resources more efficiently and profitably. Said President Kibaki, "Africa contains the world's second most important source of bio diversity, having vast natural resources, which include 30 per cent of the world's minerals, 40 per cent of its gold and 60 per cent of its cobalt, amongst others". Saying the large population and the abundance of natural and agricultural resources make the continent an attractive market and source of raw materials, President Kibaki however, said Africans should aim at exporting finished products in order to attract greater returns for their goods. Pointing out that most African states do not possess adequate defense capabilities, the Head of State said pooling together the continent could build and increase its capacity militarily through the establishment of an African Standby Force as provided for in the Protocol relating to the establishment of the African Union Peace and Security Council. He added that such a force would be useful in the maintenance of peace and stability in our continent. Highlighting the case of Somalia, President Kibaki said that raising troops for the stabilization of Somalia has been a great challenge and despite the troops offered by several African countries, Uganda is the only country that has so far sent troops to Somalia. "Additionally, the African Union Non-Aggression and Common Defense Pact is a useful instrument for the promotion of cooperation among member states in the areas of non-aggression and common defence. I urge all member states to sign and ratify this vital Pact," President Kibaki said. Expressing his gratitude to the host, President John Kufour, the Government and the people of Ghana, President Kibaki also hailed the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Alpha Konare, and his staff, for the excellent preparations for the Summit. ©2007 Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved. http://mail.kbc.co.ke/ **************************** Disclaimer ****************************** Copyright: In accordance with Title 17, United States Code Section 107, this material is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material posted to this list for purposes that go beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Content: The sender does not vouch for the veracity nor the accuracy of the contents of this message, which are the sole responsibility of the copyright owner. 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