African Union - The African Mirror

May

01

2024

bird TenX: 10 major road networks connecting Africa

NEWS

MAJOR road networks are not merely stretches of asphalt; but vital arteries that boost trade, connect communities, and foster economic growth across the African continent. They represent a commitment to progress and the betterment of interconnectivity within Africa. The Trans-African Highway Network is an ambitious, pan-African road network of major roads aiming to cover 56,683 kilometres by merging 9 highways. The mega project is a collaborative initiative by the African Union, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in collaboration with individual countries. The following is a selected list of 10 of the…

May

01

2024

By MAYA MISIKIR

Weighed down by war and drought, Tigray struggles to get back on its feet

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SEVENTEEN months since the fighting stopped in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, people are still trying to rebuild what was deliberately destroyed – a mammoth task for a population and local government left destitute by the two-year conflict. Every facet of life in the region – from jobs to social services to security – has been impacted by the scorched-earth war, in which as many as 600,000 people may have been killed. It ended with an African Union-brokered peace agreement in November 2022, but the bill for reconstruction has been calculated at $20 billion. The climate has also taken its toll in Tigray. A drought…

Apr

05

2024

By CATARINA DEMONY

Slavery tribunal? Africa and Caribbean unite on reparations

NEWS

Support is building among African and Caribbean nations for the creation of an international tribunal on atrocities dating to the transatlantic trade of enslaved people, with the United States backing a U.N. panel at the heart of the effort. A tribunal, modelled on other ad-hoc courts such as the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals after World War Two, was proposed last year. It has now gained traction within a broader slavery reparations movement, Reuters reporting based on interviews with a dozen people reveals. Formally recommended in June by the U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, the idea…

Mar

06

2024

By UELI STAEGER and BABATUNDE FAGBAYIBO

The African Union is weak because its members want it that way – experts call for action on its powers

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS, EDITORS CHOICE

THE African Union (AU) comes in for a lot of criticism. Most recently this is from within its own ranks. The AU Commission chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, set out his frustrations after an AU summit in February 2024. The commission is the executive organ which runs the AU’s daily activities. Mahamat accused member states of getting in the way of the commission doing its work, and failing to match rhetoric with action: Over the last three years, 2021, 2022 and 2023, 93% of African Union decisions have not been implemented. We think many of the criticisms of the AU are…

Feb

29

2024

By The African Mirror

West Africa trade will take a hit as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso leave Ecowas

BUSINESS

THE membership of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has been whittled down from 15 to 12 following the unilateral withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in February. Founded in 1975, Ecowas is one of eight regional economic communities recognised by the African Union to foster regional integration on the continent. Its main objective is to create a single, large trading bloc through economic cooperation. OLIVIER WALTHER, Assistant Professor in Geography, University of Florida Since 1975, Ecowas and its sister organisation the West African Economic and Monetary Union (known by its French acronym, Uemoa) have implemented numerous…

Jan

31

2024

By The African Mirror

African Union urges dialogue between ECOWAS and junta-led states

NEWS

THE African Union (AU) called for dialogue between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and junta-led countries Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso who have said they will leave the bloc. The trio's decision to exit ECOWAS, which they announced on Sunday, is a blow to the bloc's regional integration efforts after it suspended them following coups. The AU had backed ECOWAS' efforts to restore democracy. "The Chairperson of the African Union Commission H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat learned with deep regret of the announcement of the withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS," the AU said in a statement. "(He) calls…

Jan

18

2024

By CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

bird TenX: Africa’s 10 ‘most open’ countries for travel

TRAVEL

IN the past eight years, 35 countries have improved their visa policies and, since 2016, five countries have abolished all visa requirements for African travellers. As a result, citizens of at least five countries can now enjoy visa-free travel in 42 different countries, compared to just three in 2020. According to the Africa Development Bank's Africa Visa Openness Report 2023, most countries are making progress towards simplifying entry processes and dropping restrictions for other nations. The report also indicates that the free movement of people has advanced within Africa’s regional economic blocs. In the past year, six of the eight…

Nov

03

2023

By JOE BAVIER

Africa-US trade programme needs at least 10-year extension, AU says

NEWS

AFRICA wants the U.S. Congress to renew its flagship trade programme for the continent for at least 10 years, the African Union's top trade official said on Thursday, adding that any modifications to the initiative should only be considered later. Speaking at the start of three days of meetings of African trade ministers and U.S. officials, AU Trade Commissioner Albert Muchanga also said the United States will not be granted tariff-free access to a new African free trade area. First launched in 2000, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) grants exports from qualifying African countries duty-free access to the United States…

Oct

30

2023

By The African Mirror

US State Department says Sudan ceasefire talks reconvene

NEWS

THE United States, Saudi Arabia and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, together with the African Union, have relaunched humanitarian and ceasefire talks between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, the U.S. State Department said. "There is no acceptable military solution to this conflict. We call upon the SAF and RSF to approach the talks constructively, with the imperative to save lives, reduce the fighting, and create a path to a negotiated exit from the conflict," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Jun

28

2023

By The African Mirror

Germany supports African Union’s bid to join G20 – foreign minister

NEWS

Germany supports the African Union's bid to gain membership of the G20 group of large economies, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on a visit to South Africa. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock walks with South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, ahead of the South Africa-Germany Bi-National Commission in Pretoria, South Africa June 27, 2023. REUTERS/Alet Pretorius Thomson Reuters Foundation