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On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the African Union, the prospects for the future of Africa are fair.

On Thursday, May 25, Africans all over the continent will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) by 32 sovereign states, including Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanganyika (Tanzania) which are original members of the OAU.

The 60th anniversary of the OAU will be celebrated in all 55 member states of the African Union under the slogan “Our Africa Our future.” The theme for Africa Day 2023 is “Accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area to bring greater prosperity to the continent.”  The occasion provides a golden opportunity to showcase the challenges, successes, failures and prospects of the African Union.

The main objectives of the OAU, according its charter, are to promote the unity and solidarity of African states; coordinate and intensify their cooperation and efforts to achieve a better life for the peoples of Africa; safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states and rid the continent of colonialism, racism, racial discrimination and apartheid.

Sixty years down the road, how has the OAU and AU performed in efforts to achieve these lofty objectives and goals, especially the goal of continental union or a United States of Africa? From the original 32, membership of the African Union has grown to 55, the youngest member being South Sudan which joined AU in 2011.

The OAU deserves credit for the protracted struggle waged by Africans against imperialism and relentless efforts made at the UN and elsewhere to eliminate colonialism, racism, racial discrimination, and apartheid in Africa. The struggle for democracy, good governance, human rights and fundamental freedoms continues unabated in most African countries. AU must intensify efforts to eradicate corruption, impunity, poverty, disease and ignorance in Africa.

With regard to the primary goal of a continental union, a lot remains to be done. At the first OAU Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in May 1963, there were two schools of thought about how to achieve this goal.

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