WI: decolonized African countries had joined into a single federation

It is a truism that a major source of Africans' problems is in the arbitrary borders drawn by Europeans which splinter the continent into ethnically diverse and geographically cursed states. What if instead the pan-African movement had been successful, and Africans had rejected the nation- state as a product of Western hegemony, and instead created a single federal state (with atleast common economic, security & foreign policies, as well as single citizenship).? Up to you whether the Arab North joins or not, or what happens to SA.
 
The problem you have is that there really wasn't and still isn't a desire for Pan-Africaism. There were nationalistic, cultural and ethnic movements during and post, but large scale Africansim isn't something the occurred, beyond the kicking out of Colonials.

I don't think you'll get there through rejection of a nation state, as nations, kingdoms and empires existed prior to Colonialism. Indeed the very identity of many Africans, is core to the idea of a shared cultural identity that is more specific than just Africans. Same way Europeans so not identify as Europeans, they identify as a subset of that cultural group.

A United Africa, even majority wise, by Africans, is probably not doable in any realistic PoD. Regional unions are much more achievable. Nigeria is an example of this working. Though in theory you could get most of West Africa in a Union.
 
A United Africa, even majority wise, by Africans, is probably not doable in any realistic PoD. Regional unions are much more achievable. Nigeria is an example of this working. Though in theory you could get most of West Africa in a Union.
Where else could there be regional union from decolonized states?
 
Where else could there be regional union from decolonized states?

I think with a bit of management you could see a greater Ethiopia taking up the Horn of Africa. Other than that I'm not so sure. My grasp of Africa regional nationalism isn't that great, but I'm sure there are more.
 
I think with a bit of management you could see a greater Ethiopia taking up the Horn of Africa. Other than that I'm not so sure. My grasp of Africa regional nationalism isn't that great, but I'm sure there are more.
A Greater Ethiopia that takes up the entire Horn of Africa would probably result in Ethiopian balkanization - I think if it was simply just Ethiopia and Eritrea, it wouldn't be prone to balkanization.
 
Perhaps we could consolidate down to 6-7

- Arab federation in the North
- Big Nigeria in WA, and perhaps a separate French one
- Big Ethiopia
- Swahili confederation in the East
- Big Congo in the center
- Big SA including Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, maybe some of Angola and Mozambique
 
You could very plausibly have a united French West-Africa. The French Union was an attempt to move that way and it wasn’t destined to failure. Small changes to the internal politics of the RDA could see the French Union survive until it finally breaks free as one vast nation. I can’t see Morocco or Algeria changing from their OTL course though given that things were very much in motion by the time these POD’s would take place.
 
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