The African Union is an intergovernmental organization whose purpose is to foster peace and prosperity on the African continent. Africa suffered significantly under the colonial rule of European powers and remains the least-developed continent other than Antarctica, with many of the world's poorest and least-developed countries. Furthermore, political and ethnic violence is a significant problem on the continent. Therefore, in 1963, countries in Africa came together to form the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which voted in 1999 to evolve into a new organization, the African Union.
In total, there are 55 member countries in the African Union. All members of the African Union are also members of the United Nations except for one: Western Sahara, which is currently unrecognized by the UN. As of early 2023, the African Union also includes a handful of countries—Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Sudan—whose membership is currently suspended due to coup d'états—often violent insurrections that deposed each country's lawful government and replaced it with an illegitimate government.
Note: Countries marked with * are currently suspended as a result of recent coup d'états.
Many countries in Africa are relatively safe. For example, people who stick to the major cities in Morocco or South Africa are unlikely to be bothered. On the other hand, some African countries are plagued by civil wars or other forms of violence and might be less safe for people to visit. Potential visitors are advised to consult references such as the US State Department's Travel Advisory page to determine which are the safest countries in Africa and which are best avoided for now.
Africa has also been slow to combat and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and many of its low-income and least-developed countries are still struggling to vaccinate their citizenry as protection against the disease.
There is some debate regarding whether the African Union is working. Many of the decisions made by the union are not necessarily legally binding. As a result, the AU has a difficult time enforcing a lot of the rules and regulations that it wants to put in place. In addition, the agreement was made to replace similar agreements that were signed in the past—but those agreements were replaced because they were not necessarily working as well as intended.
While it is good news that the countries in Africa have some interest in working together, every country is different. A decision that benefits one country does not necessarily benefit others. These challenges are not necessarily unique to the AU, as they parallel challenges faced by the European Union, the United Nations, and other intergovernmental organizations. But they are significant obstacles nonetheless.
Country | Subregion | Date joined AU/OAU | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Algeria | Northern Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Angola | Middle Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | February 11, 1975 | |
Benin | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Botswana | Southern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | October 31, 1966 | |
Burkina Faso | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | - As of 2023, suspended following 2022 coup d'état. |
Burundi | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Cameroon | Middle Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Cape Verde | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | July 18, 1975 | |
Central African Republic | Middle Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Chad | Middle Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Comoros | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | July 18, 1975 | |
Djibouti | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | June 27, 1977 | |
DR Congo | Middle Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Egypt | Northern Africa, The Middle East | May 25, 1963 | |
Equatorial Guinea | Middle Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | October 12, 1968 | |
Eritrea | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 24, 1993 | |
Eswatini | Southern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | September 24, 1968 | |
Ethiopia | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Gabon | Middle Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Gambia | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | March 9, 1965 | |
Ghana | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Guinea | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | - As of 2023, suspended following 2021 coup d'état. |
Guinea Bissau | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | November 19, 1973 | |
Ivory Coast | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Kenya | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Lesotho | Southern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | October 31, 1966 | |
Liberia | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Libya | Northern Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Madagascar | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Malawi | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | July 13, 1964 | |
Mali | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | - As of 2023, suspended following 2021 coup d'état. |
Mauritania | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Mauritius | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | August 1, 1968 | - Join day of the first day of the month is placeholder, as the official AU member list confirms only the month and year. |
Morocco | Northern Africa | January 31, 2017 | - Originally joined the OAU in 1963, but withdrew in 1984 in protest to the OAU's admittance of Western Sahara. |
Mozambique | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | July 18, 1975 | |
Namibia | Southern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | June 1, 1990 | - Join day of the first day of the month is placeholder, as the official AU member list confirms only the month and year. |
Niger | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Nigeria | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Republic of the Congo | Middle Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Rwanda | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Sao Tome and Principe | Middle Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | July 18, 1975 | |
Senegal | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Seychelles | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | June 29, 1976 | |
Sierra Leone | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Somalia | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
South Africa | Southern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | June 6, 1994 | |
South Sudan | Middle Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | July 27, 2011 | |
Sudan | Northern Africa | May 25, 1963 | - As of 2023, suspended following 2019 coup d'état. |
Tanzania | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Togo | Western Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Tunisia | Northern Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Uganda | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | May 25, 1963 | |
Western Sahara | Northern Africa | February 22, 1982 | - Partially recognized state formally known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Involved in a territorial dispute with Morocco. |
Zambia | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | December 16, 1964 | |
Zimbabwe | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa | June 18, 1980 |
Today, there are a total of 55 countries that are in the African Union, but some of those memberships have been suspended due to political issues.
Some of the countries that have left or been suspended from the African Union include Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Sudan.