WATCH: Young Emmanuel Akot dreams of a United States of Africa

ELEVEN-year-old Emmanuel Akot of Uganda harbours a grand vision — to unite the continent and become the President of a United States of Africa.

His dream isn’t simply fanciful; he wants to revive the Pan-African spirit of Africa’s founding fathers and bring an end to civil wars.

While most African countries supported each other in the struggle against Western colonisers after 1900, and subsequently gained independence, the continent has remained divided.

The late Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi proposed a United States of Africa, stretching from Cape Town to Cairo, in 1999, as a way to end the continent’s conflicts and defy the West.

However, the “divide and rule” tactics of the West appeared to have taken root, as the dream failed to gain sufficient support from other African nations, with some suspecting Gaddafi’s own ambitions.

Former President Mugabe revived the proposal in 2013, arguing that a continental bloc united under one leader was needed to propel Africa into a global super league. This came after the realisation that Africans were not as united as the founders of the African Union’s predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, had hoped.

The founding fathers of Pan-Africanism envisioned a continent united politically, economically, and culturally, not divided along Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone lines.

Young Emmanuel’s desire to revive this dream was sparked by a civil war that separated him from his parents at the age of five. His parents left Northern Sudan for Southern Sudan at the height of the conflict, forcing their separation from Emmanuel. He was found by Isaac Kamulegeya, a philanthropist, primary school teacher, and founder of Raise the Voice Africa, a programme for vulnerable children.

Kamulegeya took Emmanuel into his orphanage. Started in 2018, the programme currently supports 26 vulnerable children, the eldest, aged 17, having just completed secondary school and emerged as the top arts student in Sudan’s final examinations. Emmanuel was the ninth child to join the orphanage.

Emmanuel has been in Zimbabwe for the past week, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry and recognised as the “President of Africa”.

He has visited various attractions nationwide, including Parliament in Mt Hampden, the African Liberation Museum, Great Zimbabwe, Chiredzi, and Victoria Falls, accompanied by Deputy Minister of Tourism Tongai Mnangagwa, Kamulegeya, Taurai Kandishaya (chairperson of the Africa Youth Congress, who brought him to Zimbabwe), and others.

He also had the opportunity to meet President Mnangagwa at Pricabe Farm. Emmanuel has met several Heads of State across Africa and interacted with Pan-Africanists on the continent.

He revealed he hasn’t yet shared his vision widely.
“The reason why I am called President is that I am planning to be the future President of a united Africa,” said a very excited Emmanuel.

He added that he has developed strategies to realise his vision.
“I am preaching Pan-Africanism to all countries. The rest of the strategy I won’t tell you, at least for now. I haven’t shared the idea, but I emphasise love,” he said.

Pan-Africanism is a general term for various movements with the common goal of unifying Africans and eliminating colonialism and white supremacy from the continent.

Kamulegeya, described the young presidential aspirant as a talented speaker with demonstrable leadership skills.
“I met him in Northern Uganda in 2017 when he was about four or five. His parents work in South Sudan. At Raise the Voice Africa, we are all about discovering talent. We put these children through different trials, and while we saw skills in various areas in others, we didn’t see any physical talent in him.

“He is interested in reading, especially history and Pan-Africanism. So, we started grooming him in that area, and he started saying he wanted to unite Africa and end conflict to fulfil the dreams of leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Kenneth Kaunda, Julius Nyerere, and others. He showed interest in this and has been preaching that gospel to all African countries about unity and love for each other,” said Kamulegeya.

Emmanuel is in Grade 7 and ready for secondary school. While most beneficiaries of Raise the Voice Africa are orphans, Emmanuel’s parents are alive, though displaced by conflict — one of the challenges to Africa’s integration and growth.

Kamulegeya explained that the programme is not just about raising voices but identifying and nurturing talent. Some children pursue sport, with one boy now a top player in Uganda, earning him a scholarship abroad.

Kamulegeya said that throughout his teaching career, his focus has been on identifying talent. He urged adults to dedicate time and resources to improving the lives of young people, especially the vulnerable, for a better Africa. Africa has 54 states.