On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the African Union (AU)—the Heads of State and Government expressed their commitment to the enduring Pan-African vision of an ‘integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena’. Within this context, they produced a solemn declaration that set out the
priority areas for Africa’s development over the next fifty years. To ensure that the solemn declaration was transformed into reality, the Heads of State and Government tasked the African Union Commission with crafting a new vision for the continent through a people-driven approach. Recognizing the critical importance of integration to the transformation and sustainable
development of Africa as envisioned by Agenda 2063, the former President of the United
Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Benjamin Mkapa convened the second African Leadership Forum
(ALF) in Dar es Salaam on 30 July 2015. The theme of the Forum was “Moving Towards an Integrated Africa”. The event provided a platform to explore how best to overcome the obstacles to intra-African interaction, collaboration, coordination and harmonization so that Africa’s richness could be better marshalled to realize the common goals of prosperity and security of the continent and its people.