ORGANISATION OF AFRICAN UNITY (O.A.U.

)
History of OAU
On May 25, 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, African leaders formed the Organisation of African
Unity (OAU). Leaders of 30 of the 32 independent African states participated in the conference
at which the OAU was founded. The organisation became operational on September 13, 1963
when the OAU Charter, its basic constitutional document, came into force. OAU was formed as
a compromise between two groups - the Casablanca group led by Ghana, supporting immediate
continental unification and Monrovia group led by Ethiopia and Nigeria, favoring functional
cooperation. The membership of the organisation had since risen to 53; Morocco is the only
African state that is not a member of OAU due to her withdrawal on November 12 1984.
The creation of OAU was to herald/bring about greater African unity among African states to
collectively deal with the challenges of political liberation, economic development and security.
Though African leaders differed on how to approach the issue of continental unity at that time,
they did not allow their different ideas to cloud their collective aspirations or to destroy the
shared desire to come together to help other African countries still under the yoke of colonialism
and racist rule.
Since its formation, OAU had succeeded phenomenally in the area of liberation struggles; this
was climax with the liberation of South Africa in 1994 and the enthronement of democracy in the
country. However, OAU was not as successful in the areas of continental development, poverty
eradication, ending numerous conflicts and human rights abuses as illustrated by the Rwandan
genocide of 1994.
In 2002, OAU transformed itself to African Union (AU).
Aims and Objectives of OAU
1. To promote the unity and solidarity of the African States.
2. To coordinate and intensify their cooperation and efforts to achieve a better life for the
peoples of Africa.
3. To defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity and independence.
4. To eradicate all forms of colonialism from Africa.
5. To promote international cooperation, having due regard to the Charter of the United
Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
6. To have a united front on issues of global importance.

Principles of OAU
a. The sovereign equality of all member states.
b. Non-interference in the internal affairs of states.
c. Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each state and for its inalienable
right to independent existence.
d. Peaceful settlement of disputes by negotiation, mediation, conciliation or arbitration.
e. Unreserved condemnation, in all its forms, of political assassination as well as of
subversive activities on the part of neighbouring states or any other states.
 f. Absolute dedication to the total emancipation of the African territories which are still
dependent.
g. Affirmation of a policy of non-alignment with regard to all blocs.

Organs of OAU
The Organisation sorts to accomplish its purposes through the following principal institutions:
1. The Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
2. The Council of Ministers.
3. The General Secretariat.
4. The Commission of Mediation, Conciliation and Arbitration.

Specialised Commissions
The Assembly had power to establish such specialised commissions including the following:
1. Economic and Social Commission
2. Educational, Scientific, Cultural and Health Commission
3. Defence Commission.

The Assembly of Heads of State and Government

The Assembly of Heads of State and Government composed of the Heads of State and
Government or their duly accredited representatives and it meets once a year. However, at the
request of any member state and on approval by a two-thirds majority of the member states, the
Assembly may meet in extraordinary session.
The Assembly of Heads of State and Government is the supreme organ of the organisation. The
Assembly is headed by a chairman who holds office for one year. Although each state had one
vote, the assembly tended to operate by consensus. It discusses matters of common concern to
Africa with a view to coordinating and harmonising the general policy of the organisation. It may
in addition review the structure, functions and acts of all the organs and any specialised agencies.
The Council of Ministers
The Council of Ministers consists of Foreign Ministers or other Ministers as are designated by
the governments of member states. The Council of Ministers meets twice a year. However, when
requested by any member state and approved by two-thirds of all member states, it meets in
extraordinary session.
The Council of Ministers is responsible to the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. It is
entrusted with the responsibility of preparing conferences of the Assembly. It is entrusted with
the implementation of the decision of the Assembly. The Council also approves the budget of the
organisation prepared by the General Secretariat.
 The General Secretariat
The General Secretariat is the administrative organ of OAU. It is headed by a Secretary-General
who is the chief administrative officer and directs the affairs of the Secretariat. The Secretary-
General is appointed by the Assembly on the recommendation of the Council. He/she stays in
office for a period of four years and may be re-appointed for another four years.
The Commission of Mediation, Conciliation and Arbitration
The Commission was set up to settle disputes by peaceful means among the member states of
OAU. It had jurisdiction over disputes between member states only. Member states, the
Assembly of Heads of State and Government, and the Council of Ministers could refer disputes
to the commission, but only with the prior consent of the states concerned. The commission
never became operational because African governments were distrustful of third-party
adjudication.
Achievements of OAU
1. It has provided a forum for African leaders to discuss the affairs of the continent.
2. OAU has allowed the African states to take united stand at the UNO
3. The organisation had supported some countries in fighting for their independence such as
Angola, Namibia and Mozambique.
4. It contributed to the settlement of many disputes among African states. For example, it
played a useful role during the Nigerian civil war.
5. It encouraged regional and economic cooperation in Africa.
6. It has contributed to the promotion, observance and protection of human rights in Africa.
7. It played a major role in the eradication of apartheid in South Africa.
8. It succeeded in forming the African Economic Community (AEC) to work for a sustained
socio-economic development of African states.
9. It has cooperated with UNO to promote world peace and security.

Problems of OAU
a. Many African states are politically unstable due to frequent changes of government,
internal strife and conflicts.
b. Many member states still owe allegiance to colonial masters.
c. The organisation has no standing army.
d. Irregular payment of dues causes shortage of fund and this affects the attainment of the
goals of the organisation.
e. Decisions of OAU may not be binding on member states because they are individual
sovereign states.
f. Many African countries still depend on the developed countries for financial assistance
which makes them susceptible to manipulation by those developed countries. This is
referred to as neo-colonialism.
g. Many African states still suffer the burden of poor leadership. Hence, OAU does not have
reliable good leaders who are committed to its ideals.
h. There are several cases of refugees in large number in many parts of Africa due to
internal and external conflicts. These refugees constitute serious socio-economic problem
for the organisation.
i. Differences in ideological stance of member states have been affecting decision making
and implementation of OAU.
j. OAU lacks the capacity to forestall regular and continuous border clashes on the
continent.
k. Poverty makes many African states to be more loyal to foreign powers than the OAU.
l. The principle of non-interference in internal affairs of member states prevents OAU from
playing active role in major internal crises of member countries.
m. Existence of sub-regional organisations such as ECOWAS, MANO River Union, etc
affects OAU.