It was a day many Afro-optimists could have easily envisaged for Africans. But it happened to another continent. Huge queues at banks, endless traffic hold-ups in major cities throughout the economic block, even cash machines breaking down as a result of over use and the whole world watched in utter amazement. The Euro is born!

The long, tortuous, fitful and intermittent route leading to the formation of the world's largest political and economic block, the European Union finally attained a major landmark with the introduction of the Euro currency on New Year Day. The feat, adjudged as unprecedented in history was praised by many governments and leaders across the globe and has many lessons encapsulated in it.

Throughout the charting of the course of the common currency those who were keen followers of the metamorphosis of the euro know very well that from the very day the idea of the currency was hooted, many individuals and financial institutional powers that be were very skeptical, including the omnipotent Uncle Sam on the other side of the Atlantic.

But the big question we should be asking is what lessons are there for Africa in the launching of the Euro, the greatest symbol of the EU? It is on records that even before the idea of forming the EU was contemplated, African leaders, especially Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah preached and cried for the formation of an African Union. Instead, basking in the euphoria of their newly-found independence many short-sighted African leaders like Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of Nigeria, among others opted instead for a loose association, which came to be known as the OAU.

In fact, some international political analysts have argued that the idea of the formation of the EU was not original to Europe, but was borrowed from Africa because the OAU predated the EEC, which has very much in common with it. Whether such argument is valid or not is not the issue here. The crux of the matter is that Africa must draw inspiration from the EU in her quest for continental integration.

Although there is absolutely no way of comparing opulent and civilized Europe with wretched and savage Africa, as doing so would amount to committing an error of fallacy of quantity, yet there are many similarities between the formation of the EU and the (OAU) now AU. Both organizations were inundated with incurable pessimists in their embryonic days but with sheer determination for success as a commanding impulse, the EU was able to surmount the obstacles that dogged its way, while the OAU in the absence of the same virtue capitulated into an incapacitated adult crawling on all four.

Of course, no one should expect the AU to be anything to be reckoned with unless African leaders and their timid followers put their house in order. Corruption, greed for power, undemocratic practices, obsequious patronages of the West and their attendant consequences, and mutual distrust must be addressed for unless the component states as the building blocks of the union are healthy, the AU is bound to be a paranoid. It is a shame that internal rivalries are emasculating the vitality of our regional organizations like Ecowas and Sadecc.

African governments must also, as a matter of urgency educate their citizens, especially their custom and immigration officials who always disregard regional protocols and impede seriously on regional trade and movement. They are spanners cast in the works.

Coming down to the sub-region, the planned Ecowas common currency, the Eco must not be allowed to be frustrated by the reluctance of some states in the region or made prone to the machinations of outside forces who it seems knows only what is good for themselves and what is bad for Africa. After all the pull out from the euro zone by the United Kingdom, being the second largest economy in the EU did not derail the project.

Oblivious of this fact, Ghana and Nigeria, tired of feet dragging by other Ecowas states have already declared a tariff-free zone for both countries and their peoples are already reaping the fruits of the deal.

Why can't other African states follow suit.

For those African countries preferring to give their allegiance to the so-called colonial masters rather than the continent, to the extent of clogging the wheels of regional integration, they will soon learn that despite globalisation every continent is for itself, while God remains for us all. If it were not so, Western Europe would have been contented with American protectionism.