History of the African Union

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History of the African Union
History of Africa Economic history Decolonisation of Africa Union of African States Organisation of African Unity African Economic Community Sirte Declaration Constitutive Act of the African Union Union Launch
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The

entity covering the entirety of the African continent. Its origin dates back to the First Congress of Independent African States, held in Accra, Ghana, from 15 to 22 April 1958. The conference aimed at forming the Africa Day (that preceded the formation of the OAU) to mark the liberation movement of the African people each year, such as to free themselves from foreign dictatorship and to unite Africa. The Organisation of African Unity (OAU), was subsequently established on 25 May 1963 followed by the African Economic Community in 1981.^[1] Critics argued that the OAU in particular did little to protect the rights and liberties of African citizens from their own political leaders, often dubbing it the "Dictators' Club".^[2]

The idea of creating the AU was revived in the mid-1990s under the leadership of Libyan head of state

(NEPAD), was also established.

Scramble for Africa

The first attempts to create a politically unified state encompassing the whole of the African continent were made by European colonial powers in the 19th century, intent on harnessing the vast

, meant the reality soon dawned that no one nation was powerful enough to outdo all the others, and take complete control of the continent.

Instead, they carved the continent up between them, scrambling for control of as much territory as possible, and attempting to prevent their rivals from obtaining favourable regions. The European powers essentially maintained control of their territories as

colonies

until the second half of the 20th century, when changes in European policy and thinking, led to releasing of control over their African colonies, and the creation of independent nations across the continent took place between the 1950s and 1970s.

Union of African States

The Union of African States, was a short lasting

, who was president of Guinea.

On November 23, 1958, a Liberia

U.S.S.R.

Organisation of African Unity

The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) or Organisation de l'Unité Africaine (OUA) was established on May 25,

.

African Economic Community

The African Economic Community (abbreviated AEC) is an organization of

.

Sahrawi membership, Moroccan withdrawal

For over 30 years, the only African state that was a

African and Malagasy Union

The African and Malagasy Union (AMU) or the Union Africaine et Malgache (UAM) in French was a former intergovernmental organization created to promote cooperation among its members. The organization derives its name from the name of the continent of Africa and from the former Malagasy Republic, now Madagascar.

Sirte Declaration

The Sirte Declaration was the resolution adopted by the Organisation of African Unity on September 9, 1999 at Sirte, Libya, to create the African Union.

Constitutive Act of the African Union

The Constitutive Act of the African Union sets out the codified framework under which the African Union is to conduct itself. It was signed on July 11, 2000 at Lomé, Togo.

Union launch

The African Union was launched in Durban on July 9, 2002 by its first president, South African, Thabo Mbeki at the first session of the Assembly of the African Union. The second session of the Assembly was in Maputo in 2003, and the third session in Addis Ababa on July 6, 2004.

Economics and monetary union

A stated goal of the AU is to establish a common African currency and banking institutions.

See also

• History of Africa
• Union of African States

References