Role of African Union

One of the key debates in relation to the achievement of greater continental integration is the relative priority that should be given to integration of the continent as a unit in itself or to integration of the sub-regions.

The 1980 Lagos Plan of Action for the Development of Africa and the 1991 treaty to establish the African Economic Community (also referred to as the Abuja Treaty), proposed the creation of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as the basis for African integration, with a timetable for regional and then continental integration to follow.[37] Currently, there are eight RECs recognised by the AU, each established under a separate regional treaty. They are:

• the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU)
• the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
• the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD)
• the East African Community (EAC)
• the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
• the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
• the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
• the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)

The membership of many of the communities overlaps, and their rationalisation has been under discussion for several years—and formed the theme of the 2006 Banjul summit. At the July 2007 Accra summit the Assembly finally decided to adopt a Protocol on Relations between the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities.[38] This protocol is intended to facilitate the harmonisation of policies and ensure compliance with the Abuja Treaty and Lagos Plan of Action time frames.

Selection of the chairperson

In 2006, the AU decided to create a Committee “to consider the implementation of a rotation system between the regions” in relation to the presidency. Controversy arose at the 2006 summit when Sudan announced its candidacy for the AU’s chairmanship, as a representative of the East African region. Several member states refused to support Sudan because of tensions over Darfur (see also below).

Sudan ultimately withdrew its candidacy and President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo was elected to a one-year term. At the January 2007 summit, Sassou-Nguesso was replaced by President John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana, despite another attempt by Sudan to gain the chair. 2007 was the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence, a symbolic moment for the country to hold the chair of the AU—and to host the mid-year summit at which the proposed Union Government was also discussed. In January 2008, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania took over as chair, representing the East African region and thus apparently ending Sudan’s attempt to become chair—at least till the rotation returns to East Africa. The current chair is South Africa.

Headquarters

The main administrative capital of the African Union is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the African Union Commission is headquartered. A new headquarters complex, the AU Conference Center and Office Complex (AUCC), was inaugurated on 28 January 2012, during the 18th AU summit.[45] The complex was built by China State Construction Engineering Corporation as a gift from the Chinese government, and accommodates, among other facilities, a 2,500-seat plenary hall and a 20-story office tower. The tower is 99.9 meters high to signify the date 9 September 1999, when the Organisation of African Unity voted to become the African Union.[46] The building cost US$200 million to construct

Espionage accusations

On 26 January 2018, five years after the building’s completion, the French Newspaper Le Monde published an article stating that the Chinese government had heavily bugged the building, installing listening devices in the walls and furniture and setting up the computer system to copy data to servers in Shanghai daily. The Chinese government denied that they bugged the building, stating that the accusations were “utterly groundless and ridiculous.”  Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn rejected the French media report.  Moussa Faki Mahamat, head of the African Union Commission, said the allegations in the Le Monde’s report were false. “These are totally false allegations and I believe that we are completely disregarding them.” The African Union replaced its Chinese supplied servers and started encrypting its communications following the event.

In 2018,[101] the African Union adopted the Free Movement Protocol. [102][103] This protocol allows for free movement of people between countries that are part of the African Union.

Article 14 of the Protocol to the treaty establishing the African economic community relating to the free movement of persons, right of residence, and the right of establishment discusses the free movement of workers.[104]

The African Union also has a Migration Policy Framework for Africa (MPFA).[105]

By preventing irregular immigration of people, it is hoped that the threats associated with irregular immigration can also be avoided for these people.

Forced displacement of people and groups has also been an area of focus for the AU— over thirty states have ratified the Kampala Convention, the only continental treaty focusing on internally displaced persons in the world

PLEASE ADD DROP DOWN MANUE HERE

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of the African Union

The individual member states of the African Union coordinate foreign policy through this agency, in addition to conducting their own international relations on a state-by-state basis. The AU represents the interests of African peoples at large in intergovernmental organisations (IGOs); for instance, it is a permanent observer at the United Nations General Assembly. Both the African Union and the United Nations work in tandem to address issues of common concerns in various areas. The African Union Mission to the United Nations aspires to serve as a bridge between the two organizations.

Membership of the AU overlaps with other IGOs, and occasionally, these third-party organisations and the AU will coordinate on matters of public policy. The African Union maintains special diplomatic representation with the United States and the European Union.

Beginning in 2016, the Union introduced continent-wide passports.[107]

In 2017, Donald Trump, President of the United States, issued an executive order to ban citizens from seven countries with suspected links to terrorism from entering the United States. Three of these are African countries, and members of the AU. During the 28th African Union Summit in Ethiopia, African leaders criticised the ban[108] as they expressed their growing concerns for the future of the African economy under President Trump’s leadership and subsequent policies.

Africa–China relations

One of the leading economic partners of the continent has been the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In September 2018, the bloc held its third Forum on China–Africa Cooperation summit in Beijing, China.

Economy

Main article: Economy of the African Union

The AU’s future goals include the creation of a free trade area, a customs union, a single market, a central bank, and a common currency (see African Monetary Union), thereby establishing economic and monetary union. The current plan is to establish an African Economic Community with a single currency by 2023.[109]

Indicators

The following table shows various data for AU member states, including area, population, economic output and income inequality, as well as various indices, including human development, viability of the state, perception of corruption, economic freedom, state of peace, freedom of the press and democratic level.

Country          Land Area

(km2) 2015[110]      Population

2018[111][112]        GDP (PPP)

(Intl. $) 2015[110]    GDP (PPP)

per capita (Intl. $) 2015[110]          HDI

2014[113]     FSI

2016[114]     CPI

2016[115]     IEF

2016[116]     GPI

2016[117]     WPFI

2016[118]     DI

2016[119]

  Algeria

2,381,741       42,228,408     548,293,085,686       13,823            0.736  78.3     34        50.06  2.21     41.69            3.56

  Angola

1,246,700       30,809,787     173,593,223,667       6,938  0.532  90.5     18        48.94  2.14     39.89  3.40

  Benin

112,760          11,485,044     21,016,184,357         1,932  0.48     78.9     36        59.31  2.00     28.97  5.67

Botswana

566,730          2,254,068       33,657,545,969         14,876            0.698  63.5     60        71.07  1.64     22.91            7.87

  Burkina Faso

273,600          19,751,466     28,840,666,622         1,593  0.402  89.4     42        59.09  2.06     22.66  4.70

Burundi

25,680            11,175,374     7,634,578,343           300     0.4       100.7  20        53.91  2.50     54.10  2.40

  Cape Verde

4,030  543,767          3,205,197,585           6,158  0.646  71.5     59        66.46  N/A     19.82  7.94

  Cameroon

472,710          25,216,267     68,302,439,597         2,926  0.512  97.8     26        54.18  2.36     40.53  3.46

Central African Republic

622,980          4,666,368       2,847,726,468           581     0.35     112.1  20        45.23  3.35     33.60  1.61

Chad

1,259,200       15,477,729     28,686,194,920         2,044  0.392  110.1  20        46.33  2.46     40.59  1.50

Comoros

1,861  832,322          1,098,546,195           1,393  0.503  83.8     24        52.35  N/A     24.33  3.71

  Congo, Democratic Republic of the

2,267,050       84,068,091     56,920,935,460         300     0.433              21        46.38  3.11     50.97  1.93

  Congo, Republic of the

341,500          5,244,359       27,690,345,067         5,993  0.591  92.2     20        42.80  2.25     35.84  2.91

  Côte d’Ivoire

318,000          25,069,230     74,916,780,423         3,300  0.462  97.9     34        60.01  2.28     30.17  3.81

Djibouti

23,180            958,923          2,911,406,226           3,279  0.47     89.7     30        55.96  2.29     70.90  2.83

  Egypt

1,010,407       98,423,598     1,173,000,000,000    10,250            0.69     90.2     34        55.96  2.57     54.45            3.31

Equatorial Guinea

28,050            1,308,975       32,317,928,931         38,243            0.587  85.2     N/A     43.67  1.94     66.47            1.70

  Eritrea[120]

101,000          3,452,786       8,845,000,000b         600b   0.391  98.6     18        42.7     2.46     83.92  2.37

Eswatini

17,200                        10,452,834,007         8,122  0.531  87.6     N/A     59.65  2.07     52.37  3.03

  Ethiopia

1,104,300       109,224,414  152,057,290,468       1,530  0.442  97.2     34        51.52  2.28     45.13  3.60

  Gabon

257,670          2,119,275       32,539,376,597         18,860            0.684  72        35        58.96  2.03     32.20            3.74

  Gambia, The

10,120            2,280,094       3,140,820,062           1,578  0.441  86.8     26        57.14  2.09     46.53  2.91

Ghana

227,540          29,767,102     108,393,071,924       3,955  0.579  71.2     43        63.00  1.81     17.95  6.75

Guinea

245,720          12,414,293     14,316,884,358         1,135  0.411  103.8  27        53.33  2.15     33.08  3.14

  Guinea-Bissau

28,120            1,874,303       2,521,743,682           1,367  0.42     99.8     16        51.81  2.26     29.03  1.98

  Kenya

569,140          51,392,565     133,592,522,053       2,901  0.548  98.3     26        57.51  2.38     31.16  5.33

Lesotho

30,360            2,108,328       5,914,437,068           2,770  0.497  80.9     39        50.62  1.94     28.78  6.59

  Liberia

96,320            4,818,973       3,533,313,381           500     0.43     95.5     37        52.19  2.00     30.71  5.31

  Libya[121]

1,759,540       6,678,559       94,010,000,000b       14,900b          0.724  96.4     14        N/A     3.20     57.89            2.25

Madagascar

581,800          26,262,313     33,354,200,458         1,376  0.51     84.2     26        61.06  1.76     27.04  5.07

Malawi

94,280            18,143,217     19,137,290,349         1,112  0.445  87.6     31        51.8     1.82     28.12  5.55

  Mali

1,220,190       19,077,749     33,524,899,739         1,905  0.419  95.2     32        56.54  2.49     39.83  5.70

Mauritania[122]

1,030,700       4,403,313       16,190,000,000b       4,400b            0.506  95.4     27        54.8     2.30     24.03            3.96

  Mauritius

2,030  1,267,185       23,817,914,134         18,864            0.777  43.2     54        74.73  1.56     27.69  8.28

Morocco

446,300          36,029,093     257,398,957,178       7,365  0.628  74.2     37        61.27  2.09     42.64  4.77

Mozambique

786,380          29,496,004     31,326,751,237         1,120  0.416  87.8     27        53.19  1.96     30.25  4.02

Namibia

823,290          2,448,301       24,043,436,006         9,778  0.628  71.1     52        61.85  1.87     15.15  6.31

  Niger

1,266,700       22,442,831     17,857,377,171         897     0.348  98.4     35        54.26  2.24     24.62  3.96

  Nigeria

910,770          195,874,685  1,168,000,000,000    5,639  0.514  103.5  28        57.46  2.88     35.90  4.50

Rwanda

24,670            1,230,197       19,216,033,048         1,655  0.483  91.3     54        63.07  2.32     54.61  3.07

  São Tomé and Príncipe

960     211,028          575,391,345  3,023  0.555  72.9     46        56.71  N/A     N/A     N/A

Senegal

192,530          15,854,323     34,398,281,018         2,274  0.466  83.6     45        58.09  1.98     27.99  6.21

  Seychelles

460     97,096            2,384,515,771           25,525            0.772  60.2     N/A     62.2     N/A     30.60  N/A

  Sierra Leone

72,180            7,650,150       9,511,431,824           1,474  0.413  91        30        52.31  1.81     29.94  4.55

  Somalia[123]

627,340          15,008,226     5,900,000,000c          600c    N/A     114     10        N/A     3.41     65.35  N/A

South Africa

1,213,090       57,792,518     742,461,000,000       12,393            0.666  69.9     45        61.9     2.32     21.92            7.41

South Sudan

619,745          10,975,927     21,484,823,398         1,741  0.467  113.8  11        N/A     3.59     44.87  N/A

  Sudan

1,886,086       41,801,533     165,813,461,495       4,121  0.479  111.5  14        N/A     3.27     72.53  2.37

Tanzania

885,800          56,313,438     130,297,806,032       2,510  0.521  81.8     32        58.46  1.90     28.65  5.76

  Togo

54,390            7,889,093       10,018,697,437         1,372  0.484  85.8     32        53.64  1.95     30.31  3.32

Tunisia

155,360          11,565,201     121,200,025,401       10,770            0.721  74.6     41        57.55  1.95     31.60            6.40

Uganda

200,520          42,729,036     67,856,334,117         1,738  0.483  97.7     25        59.26  2.15     32.58  5.26

Western Sahara[124]

266,000          567,402          906,500,000d            2,500d            N/A     N/A     N/A     N/A     N/A     N/A            N/A

  Zambia

743,390          17,351,708     58,400,082,027         3,602  0.586  86.3     38        58.79  1.78     35.08  5.99

  Zimbabwe

386,850          14,438,802     26,180,942,292         500     0.509  100.5  22        38.23  2.32     40.41  3.05

 African Union         30,370,000     1,275,920,972           5,457,724,064,668    4,602  0.524d            88.99d            31.51d            55.55d            2.27     37.89  4.30