TRIPLE-POWER: BRING ON THE SAHEL CONFEDERATION!

Pan-Africanism is sweeping the Sahel. Three regional states - Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger - could be poised to form a confederation. The foreign ministers of each have just thrashed out the details at a two-day meet in Bamako - and will each now advise their respective bosses to proceed with the plan, with the eventual formation of a federation in mind.

The consequences of such a union would be huge - literally: a Sahelian Federation comprising the three would become the largest state in Africa and overtake India as the 8th largest in the world. It would bring together 70-million people - and enjoy an abundance of resources, from cattle and cotton, to gold, uranium and oil. Mali is constructing West Africa’s biggest gold refinery, with Burkina also building one - while a 2,000 km pipeline from Niger to international markets has been commissioned.

Those steering the ship in Bamako, Niamey and Ouagadougou would make their Pan-African forbears - like Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba and Thomas Sankara - truly proud.

One brother who clearly is up for a federation has made a beautiful video in which he illustrates what it would mean in geographic terms. Who else is up for it? Have a watch and let us know in the comments if you are!