How the AES Is Rebuilding Africa - Starting With Three

The Alliance of Sahel States (aka AES) is currently the foremost Pan-African organization on the planet. It formed a confederation of countries Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. It has a common defence force, common African citizenship and many others. Their motto is “One Space, One People, One Destiny.” 

However, its work is not wholly unprecedented, it builds on the proud tradition of Pan-Africanism lasting multiple decades, actually better than more prominent organizations. 

On May 24, 1963, in the capital city of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), the president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, laid out a roadmap for thirty-two heads of state on what a united Africa needed. 

But it wasn’t implemented.

THE BLACKPRINT (May 1963)

The “blackprint” (our blueprint/roadmap) was established at that 1963 meeting in Addis Ababa. During the meeting, President Nkrumah asked for a common defense under a supreme African command, a common foreign affairs and diplomacy, a common African citizenship, an African currency, an African monetary zone, and an African central bank with a standing body of officials to implement it.

Africa's former colonizers intervened, meddled, and did what they always did, which was try to thwart the efforts of African people to advance. 

"We must unite now or perish." - President Kawme Nkruma 

However the AES appears to be doing that work.

Past Pan-African Efforts

Interestingly enough, there had been several other previous attempts to unite, but they were sabotaged. Most prominently, the African Union (AU), formerly the Organization of African Unity (OAU), is the governing body for the whole African continent. According to its website the AU’s purpose is to: 

• Promote the unity and solidarity of the African States
•  Coordinate and intensify their cooperation and efforts to achieve a better life for the peoples of Africa 
• Defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity and independence
•  Eradicate all forms of colonialism from Africa
• Promote international cooperation 

However, the AU is widely seen as ineffective, at best, and puppets - serving the interests of the former colonizers (the West) instead of Africa at worst. In its 60+years, the AU hasn’t accomplished any of the initiatives of the blackprint. 

WHAT EXISTS NOW

Whether intentional or not, the AES has implemented almost all of the blackprint’s objectives, proving its worth. Here's how the AES's work stacks up against what Nkrumah called for back in 1963. 

Additionally, the AES created a television station in Bamako, Mali back in December 2025. They developed a common cultural policy back in February 2025 with education reform centering around indigenous African languages. At the time of this writing, the second annual AES Games are currently being held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, running from September 7, 2026 through the September 16, 2026. Finally, they have a 0.5% common external customs levy, which is a real customs union.

Like many of our great civilizations of the past, the AES has started to pool their collective resources to regain African sovereignty. This looks more like rebuilding the African continent, not just one nation. However, it has to start somewhere, and they've started with these three countries.

It's been more than sixty years since President Nkrumah laid out the blackprint for Africa. Fortunately, the AES has started to work on it and has done a whole lot since its founding just 3 years ago. Africa has 54 countries. Hopefully, more will apply and join the AES.