AU slates celebration of 20th anniversary for September

The African Union has slated the celebration of its 20th anniversary for September 9, 2022.

This was disclosed in a statement on Monday August 8, 2022.

According to the statement, the Durban Summit launched the AU and convened its first Assembly of Heads of State and Government in 2002.

Speaking about the 20th anniversary themed “Our Africa, Our Future”, the organizer highlighted the three summits held in the lead-up to the official launch of the AU.

“On 9 September 1999, the then Organisation of African Unity, OAU, signed the Sirte Declaration, establishing the Union. The Declaration called for the creation of an organisation that would accelerate integration on the continent and enable Africa to play a greater role in the global economy while addressing social, economic and political challenges with African solutions. 9th September is therefore celebrated as African Union Day,” the statement reads.

At one of the summits in 2000 in Lomé Summit African Union’s Constitutive Act was adopted.

“The Lusaka Summit (2001) drew the roadmap for implementation of the AU.”

“The decision to re-launch Africa’s Pan-African organisation was the outcome of a consensus by African leaders that in order to realise Africa’s potential, there was a need to refocus attention from the fight for decolonisation and apartheid, which had been the focus of the OAU, towards increased cooperation and integration of African states to drive Africa’s growth and economic development.

“In the lead up to Africa Day, the African Union Commission is launching an information campaign reflecting the milestones and impact of the Organization in realizing its vision of ‘An Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena’, under Agenda 2063,” the organizer said in the statement.

“Dubbed the African Union at 20, #AU20, the campaign will roll out information, facts and figures to raise awareness of the various projects, programmes and initiatives undertaken across the continent during the last 20 years.”

This campaign, undertaken in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will tell the story of the AU’s past, present, and vision for the future, highlighting the various ways in which the African Union works to promote the peace, unity and prosperity of African citizens.

“The campaign will contribute to the goal of connecting the African Union to over one billion African citizens, and enhancing its voice in the global arena,” the statement concludes.