Nairobi: Since its creation in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the African Union (AU) has been seeking to achieve greater unity and solidarity of African countries and to be a people centred institution by allowing and encouraging citizens’ engagement with its organs. The AU has promised to keenly involve African citizens at large and members of the diaspora in the process of the continental integration.

Over the last few years, the AU has been trying to build a partnership between governments and all segments of civil society, in order to strengthen solidarity and cohesion among the African people and to make Africans ‘both the actors and beneficiaries of the structural changes engendered by development’ (OSISA et al., 2007).

In addition, the creation of organs such as the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) was another manifestation of the AU’s desire and determination to engage different stakeholders.

In the past five years, the increased relevance and targeting of the African Union as the premier continental institution has been a learning process worth the effort for many involved in the advocacy space in Africa. As a result, there has been a growing interest of the African civil society in popularising and engaging the continental body, thus introducing a clear need to alleviate the knowledge and information gap on the structures and the functioning of the AU, its various organs and institutions as well as its decision-making processes.

To address this need partially, the African Union through its Citizens and Diaspora Directorate (CIDO) together with Oxfam have undertaken a capacity building project since 2010 in the form of a training titled: ‘Understanding the African Union’ to popularise the continental institution among members of the civil society and help them to strategise on how to engage it at various levels.

A comprehensive resource guide on the AU to assist in the delivery of such trainings was identified as a key missing tool subsequent to the first training held in Kampala, Uganda (April 2010)- and with this in mind, Oxfam International Liaison Office with the AU decided to produce a resource book titled ‘African Union Compendium’.

The Compendium covers the AU structures, decision making processes, civil society space in the AU and add value by highlighting the role these various civil society actors have played in the space provided, and in some instances, how they initiated the creation of that space.

The African Union Compendium is intended for multiple stakeholders including, but not limited to CSOs, policymakers at various levels, AU and embassy staff, academics, staff of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and journalists among others.

In the past, there have been a number of guides and manuals on the AU, with useful information for civil society and other actors seeking to engage the continental body namely Civil Society Organisations and the African Union: Towards a Continental Advocacy Strategy by World Vision (2007), Towards a People Driven African Union: Current Obstacles and New Opportunities by AfriMAP, AFRODAD and Oxfam as well as another titled Strengthening Popular Participation in the African Union: A Guide to African Union Structures and Processes by Oxfam and AfriMAP.

However, with the African Union Compendium, a holistic approach was adopted in the gathering of information on the institution and a method of organising information about the African Union, its organs, structures, mechanisms that offer both an overview for understanding as well as a comprehensive reference for in-depth insight.

Oxfam and its partners are committed to the vision and objectives of the African Union, and continue their engagement with the continental body through different efforts of popularising the African Union, and supporting it to promote the implementation of the various policy instruments that will in essence  render better conditions of life for the citizens of the continent.

• Background to the Compendium:  the full report, 118 pages, can be accessed here.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgement

Background of the Compendium

Chapter One: The pan-African Movement

Chapter Two: The Continental Body

Chapter Three: African Union Organs

Chapter Four: African Union Commission

Chapter Five: The African Union Decision-making Process

Chapter Six: The Union Government

Chapter Seven: The Process of Meeting Organising & the AU Summit

Chapter Eight: Civil Society Engagement

Chapter Nine: Non-State Actors Engaging the African Union

Annexures

1. African Union Representational, Specialised and Technical Offices

2. Regional Economic Communities

Bibliography