The African School of Diplomacy and International Relations says there is a need for effective implementation of the African Union integration frameworks to advance regional growth.

The vice-chairman of ASDIR, Tunji Asaolu, communicated this on Tuesday in Abuja during a global news conference organised to commemorate the 2026 Africa Day.

Africa Day, celebrated annually on May 25, marks the 63rd anniversary of the AU’s establishment in 1963.

According to Mr Asaolu, who is also the board chair of the African Civil Society Forum, the structural deficits hindering Africa can no longer be justified in an era where continental blocs dictate global affairs.

He described African youths as the engine of making Africa first, while urging them not to let old colonial borders limit their imagination.

He said that as the AU marked its 63rd anniversary, it had become important for African leaders to move beyond symbolic rhetoric and take bold steps towards continental statehood.

Mr Asaolu said it was time to establish a continental framework that guaranteed collective security, economic prosperity, and cultural pride.

The vice-chairman said that ASDIR would continue to stand at the frontlines of intellectual and grassroots struggle through training young people to negotiate not for fragmented nation-states, but for the collective glory of Africa.

He declared the organisation’s readiness to partner with governments, civil society, private sector actors, and international friends to realise the dream of the United States of Africa.

Mr Asaolu added that there was a need for a continent where everyone could move freely, prosper equally, and speak with a single, powerful voice on the world stage.

(NAN)