Africa Marks AU Day Today


On 25th May 1963, Africa made history with the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) which brought the Continent together. 

Since then, the 25th May has been celebrated widely across the world particularly in Africa to signify Africa’s identity and unity. 

The Africa Union Assembly devoted the theme of the year 2017 to “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through investments in Youth”. 

Investments made today in the youth, who represent Africa’s greatest asset, will determine the development trajectory of Africa over the next 50 years and position the continent towards realizing the “Africa We Want,” a strong, united and influential global player and partner as envisioned in Agenda 2063. 

This road-map has therefore been developed bearing in mind the urgent necessity to transform the potential of Africa’s large youth population, often referred to as the youth bulge, into a demographic dividend. 

It is also to help usher African countries towards the ambitious yet critical aspirations and goals of the complementary Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

The demographic dividend can be defined as the benefit that can arise when a country has a relatively large proportion of working-age population due to declining fertility, and effectively invests in their health, empowerment, education and employment through public action and private sector involvement. 

Africa Day is an annual commemoration in various countries on the African continent, as well as around the world. 

The First Congress of Independent African States was held in Accra, Ghana on 15th April 1958. 

It was convened by the first president of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and comprised representatives from Egypt (then a constituent part of the United Arab Republic, Ethiopia, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon and of course the republic of Ghana. The Republic of South Africa was not invited. 

The conference showcased progress of liberation movements on the Africa continent in addition to symbolizing the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation. 

Although the Pan-African Congress had been working towards similar goals since its foundation in 1900, this was the first time such a meeting took place on African soil. 

The Conference called for the founding of an African Freedom Day, a day to mark each year the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolize the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation. 

The conference was notable in that it laid the basis for the subsequent meetings of Africa heads of state and government during the Casablanca Group and the Monrovia Group era, until the formation of the OAU in 1963 Five years later, on 25th May 1963, representatives of thirty African nations met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, hosted by Emperor Haile Selassie. 

By then more than two-thirds of the continent had achieved independence, mostly from imperial European states. 

At this meeting, the Organisation of African Unity was founded, with the initial aim to encourage the decolonization of Angola, Mozambique, South Africa and Southern Rhodesia. 

The Organisation pledged to support the work conducted by freedom fighters, and remove military access to colonial nations. 

A charter was set out which sought to improve the living standards across member states. 

Selassie exclaimed, "May this convention of union last 1,000 years." 

The charter was signed by all attendees on 26 May, with the exception of Morocco. 

At that meeting, Africa Freedom Day was renamed Africa Liberation Day. 

In 2002, the OAU was replaced by the African Union. 

However, the renamed celebration of Africa Day continued to be celebrated on 25th May in respect to the formation of the OAU. 

Africa Day continues to be celebrated both in Africa and around the world.

Some portions of this article was culled from Wikipedia.

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