2027 ALA Model African Union Conference: March 17-21, 2027
“Each generation must discover its mission, fulfil it or betray it.” – Frantz Fanon
The first Scramble for the Continent was unanticipated and devastating in its consequences for Africa and her people. More dangerously, the contemporary scramble has evolved; it has shed the language and violence of conquest and dressed itself in the beautiful jargon of “development,” “partnership,” and “investment,” making it more difficult to identify and interrogate. Yet beneath this language, competition for Africa’s data, labour, land, minerals, trade routes, and strategic influence continues to intensify. Africa therefore stands at a consequential crossroads in her history; one where, for the first time, she anticipates the emerging scramble and can shape her response. ALAMAU 2027 invites delegates to critically examine whose terms shape development, whose frameworks and financing facilitate it, and whether current models are translating into meaningful improvements in the lives of ordinary Africans.
How can Africa achieve impactful, sustainable development while retaining ownership over her resources and sovereignty over her governance? It is this question that the theme of this conference, “Reclaiming ‘The Africa We Want’ through Auto-Centric Development Against a New Scramble for Africa”, confronts directly. It is grounded in the AU’s aspirations for African prosperity through sustainable, people-driven development, for a continent integrated and united on the ideals of Pan-Africanism. Inspired by the work of the late Egyptian political economist Samir Amin, the theme invites delegates to explore the concept of auto-centric development and to debate whether development centered around African priorities offers a viable response to contemporary global pressures. In doing so, ALAMAU 2027 affirms that the pursuit of “The Africa We Want” is inseparable from the unfinished mission inherited from previous generations of Pan-Africanist visionaries who envisioned a continent of dignity, self-determination and prosperity. Delegates are therefore invited not only to imagine Africa’s future, but to return to, and critically engage with the intellectual foundations laid by the minds that have shaped her aspirations.
Through rigorous simulations across 12 committees, including specialized committees as well as the Press Corps, delegates will wrestle with urgent issues of development, governance, cooperation and economic sovereignty, exploring the path toward the genuine achievement of “The Africa We Want”. They will be challenged to develop resolutions that reflect a uniquely African vision for the continent’s future and an auto-centric approach toward development in an increasingly multipolar world. Delegates will leave with a revitalized perspective of the world, carrying both aspirations for Africa’s future and the tools required to contribute to it.
