A few Important facts to know about the African Union.

The African Union is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The African Union was announced in Sirte, Libya on 9th September 1999. The bloc was later founded on 26th May 2001, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and launched on 9th July 2002, in Durban. south Africa.

The intention of the AU was to replace the Organization of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; OAU was disbanded on 9th July 2002.

Today the African Union working languages are Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, and many others.

The Chairman is Azali Assoumani, and the commission chairperson is Fortune Z. Charumbira. Most importantly the AU legislature is led by the pan-African parliament.

The African Union has a number of official bodies, namely;

• The Pan-African parliament
• Assembly of African Union
• African Union Commission (or Authority)
• Court of Justice of the African Union
• Executive Council
• Permanent Representatives Committee
• Peace and Security Council
• Specialized Technical committees
• Financial Institutions
• Health
• Human Rights and African Energy Commission

Objectives of the African Union.

1. To achieve greater unity, cohesion, and solidarity among the African countries and nations.
2. To defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of its member states.
3. To accelerate the political and socio-economic integration of the continent.
4. To promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its people.
5. To promote international cooperation, taking due account of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
6. To promote peace, security, and stability on the continent.
7. To promote democratic principles and institutions, popular participation, and good governance.
8. To promote and protect human rights in accordance with the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and other relevant human rights instruments.
9. To establish the necessary conditions that enable the continent to play its rightful role in the global economy and in international negotiation.
10. To promote sustainable development at the economic, social, and cultural levels as well as the integration of African economies.
11. To promote cooperation in all fields of human activity to raise the living standards of African people
12. To coordinate and harmonize the policies between the existing and future regional economic communities for the gradual attainment of the objectives of the union
13. To advance the development of the continent by promoting research in all fields, in particular in science and technology.
14. To work with relevant international partners in the eradication of preventable diseases and the promotion of good health on the continent.

The green and gold in the African Union flag symbolizes Africa’s hope and aspiration as well as its wealth and bright future and the white represents the purity of Africa's desire for friends across the world. Together the colors green, gold, and red constitute the Pan-African colors. The African Union adopted the anthem “Let us all unite and celebrate together”.

Just to say a few words of mine;

It’s most important to note that the African Union legislature is voted by a pan-African panel. This means the African Union at its core is an embodiment of pan-Africanism. In fact, it means the African Union doesn’t just seek to bring African nations together but also finds ways to build, protect, and preserve our African values. By so doing, through the collective effort of the member states, they will address the concerns of each state as an individual entity and as a collective institution. Hence, the elimination of tribalism, the elimination of visas (hopefully, one day), and so on and so forth.

As I heard someone say before, Pan-Africanism must be the things we do that are informed by our reality and informed by interactions with other civilizations.