... differing organisations that have had varied success in achieving regional or, in some cases, continental cooperation in both the economic and political spectra. 2 These movements' objectives and powers have changed over time and have witnessed many phases in their development. For the purposes of this essay, we shall explore four stages in the African movement: post-independence; the Cold War period; the post-Cold War period and the mid-late 90s onward. Post-Independence President Nkrumah of Ghana thought that African independence was simply the advent of a neo-colonial experience in which the national interests of African states were subordinate to the economic strategies and desires of their former colonial masters. He called for a pan-African movement in order that the African states joined to combat this exploitation and grow together. He saw regional blocs as detrimental to the African cause, not as helpful stepping-stones, and sought to create an International Governmental Organisation (IGO) that would enable ...

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