Banjul, June 28, 2006 – The challenges confronting the African Union, AU, is indeed enormous including political, economic and social disintegration of the African societies.

Despite our rich natural resources, Africa continued to fall behind those of the world's developed region. This is mainly due to the disintegration of the African societies, coupled with the various economies losing ground in increased growth in the industrial and agricultural sectors.

Yet with our huge resources, the region's economic growth is to keep pace with the rapid population growth, thus affecting the prospects for development.

In addition to this, unfavorable weather condition and other natural disasters precipitated to low productivity in most African countries, while the output of mineral resources continued to decline, mainly because of crises in the mineral producing countries and unfavorable investment climate.

This deteriorating situation in the African region has badly affected our development efforts, leaving a lot to be desired by the African Union in the ongoing AU Summit in Banjul.

Consequent upon this, the challenges confronting the region encompasses all facets of human life, which in no uncertain terms require our collective efforts to address the situation.

It is on the basis of these factors that Africans should put their heads together to achieve complete economic independence and self-reliance.

Source: The Daily Observer (EDITORIAL)