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As Ghana joins in the celebration of the 2020 African Union Day, we submit here a brief profile of some of the countries:
Country: Mozambique
Mozambique attained independence from the Portuguese in June 25, 1975. It is located in Eastern Africa. First President was Samora Machel.
Population size: 29.5 million (2018)
Major exports include Prawns, Cotton, Aluminum, Coal, cashew nuts and sugar
GDP: US$14.72 billion (2018)
Current President: Filipe Nyusi
Name of football national team: Os Mambas
Country: Morocco
Attained independence from France on March 2, 1956. Her official language is French
Population size: 36.03 million (2018)
Major exports include Citrus fruit, vegetables, crude minerals, clothing and textile
GDP: US$117.9 billion (2018)
Head of Government: Saad Eddine El Othmani
Name of football national team: Atlas Lions
Country: Mauritius
Mauritius attained her independence from Great Britain in March 12, 1968. Official language is English. First President was Veerasamy Ringadoo.
Population size: 1.265 million (2018)
Major exports include fish, clothing and sugar cane
GDP: US$14.22 billion (2018)
Name of football national team: Les Dodos
Country: Madagascar
Madagascar is an island which gained independence from France on June 26, 1960. Philibert Tsiranana was the first President of Madagascar.
Population size: 26.26 million
Major exports include Vanilla, Raw nickel, Cloves and Cobalt
GDP: US$13.85 billion (2018)
Current President: Andry Rajoelina
Name of football national team: Barea
Country: Namibia
Independence date: March 21, 1990
Person who led them into independence: Sam Nujoma
Official language: English
Current President: Hage Gottfried Geingob
Current population size: 2,540,905
GDP: $14.368 billion (nominal, 2019 est)
However, it is expected to reach $16.00 billion by the end of 2020, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations.
Major exports: Diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, white fish and mollusks
Name of football national team: Brave Warriors
Country: Nigeria
Independence date: October 1, 1960
Person who led them into independence: Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe
Official language (s): English
Current President: Muhammadu Buhari
Current population size: 206,139,589
GDP: $446.543 billion (nominal, 2019 est.)
Major exports: petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, vehicles, aircraft parts, vessels, vegetable products, processed food, beverages, spirits and vinegar, cashew nuts, processed leather, cocoa, tobacco, aluminum alloys
Name of football national team: Super Eagles
Country: Niger
Independence date: August 3, 1960
Person who led them into independence: Hamani Diori
Official language (s): French
Current President: Mahamadou Issoufou
Current population size: 24,206,644
GDP: $9.50 Billion in 2019
Major exports: uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions
Name of football national team: Meyna or Ménas
Country: Rwanda
Independence date: July 1, 1962
Person who led them into independence: Grégoire Kayibanda
Official language (s): Kinyarwanda, French, English, Swahili
Current President: Paul Kagame
Current population size: 12,952,218
GDP: $10.209 billion (nominal, 2019 est.)
Major exports: coffee, tea, tin cassiterite, Wolfframite, and pyrethrum. Coffee makes up between 50 per cent to 80 per cent of the total export.
Name of football national team: Amavubi (The Wasps)
Country: Sao Tome & Principe
Independence date: July 12, 1975
Person who led them into independence: Manuel Pinto da Costa
Official language (s): Portuguese
Current President: Manuel Pinto da Costa
Current population size: 219,159
GDP: $422.3 million (2018)
Major exports: Cocoa, copra, coffee, palm oil
Name of football national team: The Falcons and True Parrots Team
Country: Senegal
Independence date: June 20, 1960
Person who led them into independence: Léopold Sédar Senghor
Official language (s): French
Current President: Macky Sall
Current population size: 16,743,927
GDP: $24.13 billion (2018)
Major exports: fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
Name of football national team: The Lions of Teranga
Country: Seychelles
Independence date: June 29, 1976.
Person who led them into independence: Sir James Mancham and France-Albert René
Official language (s): English, French, Seychellois Creole.
Current President: Danny Faure
Current population size: 98,347
GDP: $1.59 billion (2018)
Major exports: canned tuna, frozen fish, petroleum products
Name of football national team: The Pirates
Country: Sierra Leone
Independence date: April 27, 1961
Person who led them into independence: Sir Milton Margai
Official language (s): English
Current President: Julius Maada Bio
Current population size: 7,976,983
GDP: $4.085 billion (2018)
Major exports: diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Name of football national team: Leone Stars
Country: Somalia
Independence date: July 1, 1960
Person who led them into independence: Haji Bashir Ismail Yusuf
Official language (s): Somali
Current President: Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo
Current population size: 15,893,222
GDP: $ 4.721 billion (2018)
Major exports: livestock, bananas, skins, fish, charcoal and scrap metal.
Name of football national team: The Ocean Stars
Country: South Africa
Independence date: May 31, 1961
Person who led them into independence: Nelson Mandela
Official language (s): Southern Sotho, Pedi/Northern Sotho, Tswana, Swati, Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans, English, Venda, Tsonga
Current President: Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa
Current population size: 59,308,690
GDP: $368.3 billion (2018)
Major exports: corn, diamonds, fruits, gold, metals and minerals, sugar, and wool.
Name of football national team: Bafana Bafana
Country: South Sudan
Independence date: July 9, 2011
Person who led them into independence: Salva Kiir Mayardit
Official language (s): English
Current President: Salva Kiir Mayardit
Current population size: 11,193,725
GDP: $4.58 billion (2018)
Major exports: Crude Petroleum ($1.22B), Scrap Iron ($2.98M), Aircraft Parts ($1.65M), Sawn Wood ($1.22M) and Gas Turbines ($1.22M)
Name of football national team: Bright Stars
Country: Sudan
Independence date: January 1, 1956
Person who led them into independence: Ismail al-Azhari
Official language (s): Literary Arabic and English
Current President: Omar al Bashir
Current population size: 43,849,260
GDP: $40.85 billion (2018)
Major exports: gold; oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, peanuts, gum Arabic, sugar
Name of football national team: Falcons on Jediane
Country: Swaziland
Swaziland, also known as Eswatini attained independence from the British on September 6, 1968. Official languages are English and French. Swaziland operates a Monarchical government, that is, the country is governed by a King.
The name of the current king is Mswati III.
Population size: 1.136 million (2018)
Major exports include Sugar, Cotton yarn, Wood pulp, Citrus and Canned fruits
GDP: US$4.711 billion (2018)
Name of football national team: Sihlangu Semnikati
Country: Tanzania
Independence date: December 9, 1961
Person who led them into independence: Julius Kambarage Nyerere
Official language (s): Swahili; English; Arabic (Zanzibar)
Current President: John Magufuli
Current population size: 59,734,218
GDP: $58 billion (2018)
Major exports: gold, coffee, cashew nuts, and cotton.
Name of football national team: Taifa Stars
Country: Togo
Independence date: April 27, 1960
Person who led them into independence: Sylvanus Epiphanio Olympio
Official language (s): French
Current President: Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé Eyadéma
Current population size: 8,278,724
GDP: $5.359 billion (2018)
Major exports: coffee, cocoa, maize and cotton.
Name of football national team: Les Éperviers (The Sparrowhawks)
Country: Tunisia
Independence date: March 20, 1956,
Person who led them into independence: Habib Bourguiba
Official language (s): Arabic
Current President: Kais Saied
Current population size: 11,818,619
GDP: $39.87 billion (2018)
Major exports: clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment
Name of football national team: Eagles of Carthage
Country: Uganda
Independence date: October 9, 1962
Person who led them into independence: Milton Obote
Official language (s): English
Current President: Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
Current population size: 45,741,007
GDP: $27.46 billion (2018)
Major exports: Coffee ($555M), Gold ($416M), Dried Legumes ($98.4M), Fish Fillets ($87.1M) and Cocoa Beans ($74.9M)
Name of football national team: The Cranes
Country: Zambia
Independence date: October 24, 1964,
Person who led them into independence: Kenneth Kaunda
Official language (s): English
Current President: Edgar Chagwa Lungu
Current population size: 18,383,955
GDP: $26.72 billion (2018)
Major exports: copper/cobalt 64%, cobalt, electricity; tobacco, flowers, cotton
Name of football national team: “Chipolopolo" aka "The Copper Bullets".
Country: Zimbabwe
Independence date: April 18, 1980.
Person who led them into independence: Robert Mugabe
Official language (s): English language, Shona language, Northern Ndebele language
Current President: Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa
Current population size: 14,862,924
GDP: $31 billion (2018)
Major exports: platinum, cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing
Name of football national team: The Warriors
