The African Union and Regional Integration in Africa

Abstract

The ideal of African unity can be traced back to the nineteenth century, when the idea of pan-Africanism first gained traction.1 The establishment of the African Union (AU) in July 2002 began the third phase in the project of forging pan-African unity; the first phase was the institutionalization of pan-Africanism through the six Pan-African Congresses held between 1900 and 1945, and the second phase was the inauguration of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in May 1963.2