Assembly of the African Union

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The Assembly of the African Union, which is formally known as the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government (AU-AHSG), is one of several decision-making bodies within the African Union. The other bodies are the Pan-African Parliament; the Executive Council, consisting of foreign ministers of the AU members states; and the African Union Commission. The Assembly of the African Union consists of the 55 heads of state and government of the member countries. The Assembly meets once a year.

Contents

The Chairperson of the Assembly presides the annual African Union Summit as well as the Pan-African Parliament during the election and swearing in of the President of the Pan-African Parliament.

History

The Assembly came into existence on 25 May 1963, as part of the ratification of Organization of African Unity (OAU). Initially the Assembly consisted of 32 independent members, the heads of state of the African states that had achieved independence by 1963. Until 2001, the governing constitution of the Assembly was the OAU Charter. The Assembly is now subject to the Union Act that created the African Union.

Functions

The Assembly has nine basic functions:

  1. Set policies of the Union.
  2. Decide on what action to take after consideration of reports and recommendations from the other organs of the Union.
  3. Consider membership requests into the Union.
  4. Create bodies for the Union.
  5. Monitor the implementation of policies and decisions of the Union as well ensure compliance by all Member States.
  6. Create a budget of the Union.
  7. Provide direction to the Executive Council on conflicts, war and other emergency situations and the restoration of peace.
  8. Select judges for and withdraw judges of the Court of Justice.
  9. Appoint the Chairman of the Commission, Commissioners of the Commission, all respective deputies and determine how long they will serve and what duties they will perform.

Decisions

50th anniversary African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25 May 2013 50th Anniversary African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.jpg
50th anniversary African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25 May 2013

The Assembly shall take its decisions by consensus or, failing which, by a two-thirds majority of the Member States of the Union. However, procedural matters, including the question of whether a matter is one of procedure or not, shall be decided by a simple majority.

Two-thirds of the total membership of the Union shall form a quorum at any meeting of the Assembly.

The Assembly may delegate any of its powers and functions to any organ of the Union.

Members

The AU Assembly of the Heads of State and Government consists of the 55 heads of state and government of the member countries. The Assembly meets once a year at the AU Summit. The current Chairman of the Assembly is President Moussa Faki of Chad.

The current members of the AU-AHSG are:

Member StateRepresentativeTitleMember sincePhoto
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebboune President 19 December 2019 Abdelmadjid Tebboune (2023) (cropped).jpg
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola João Lourenço President 26 September 2017 2018-07-04 President Joao Lourenco-0555.jpg
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin Patrice Talon President 6 April 2016 Patrice Talon at the 52nd African Development Bank Annual Meeting in Gandhinagar (Cropped).jpg
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi President 1 April 2018 Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference London 2018 (45245990491) (cropped Version 2).jpg
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso VacantMembership Suspended31 January 2022 Coat of arms of Burkina Faso.svg
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi Évariste Ndayishimiye President 18 June 2020 Evariste Ndayishimiye (cropped).jpg
Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cabo Verde José Maria Neves President 9 November 2021 Jose Maria Neves.jpg
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Paul Biya President 6 November 1982 Paul Biya 2014.png
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadéra President 30 February 2016 Faustin Touadera.jpg
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad Mahamat Déby Itno President 20 April 2021 Participation of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in the 6th European Union Africa Union Summit (cropped).jpg
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros Azali Assoumani President 26 May 2016 President Azali Assoumani.jpg
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Democratic Republic of the Congo Félix Tshisekedi President 24 January 2019 Felix Tshisekedi (september 2018).jpg
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso President 25 August 1997 Denis Sassou Nguesso 2014.png
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Côte d'Ivoire Alassane Ouattara President 4 December 2010 President Alassane Ouattara in Washington - 2017 (38244569701) (cropped).jpg
Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh President 8 May 1999 Ismail Omar Guelleh 2018.jpg
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi President 8 June 2014 AbdelFattah Elsisi.jpg
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo President 3 August 1979 Teodoro Obiang.png
Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea Isaias Afwerki President 24 May 1993 Isaias Afwerki in 2002.jpg
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini Mswati III King 25 April 1986 King Mswati III 2014.jpg
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Prime Minister 2 April 2018 The state visit of Reuven Rivlin to Ethiopia, May 2018 (6810) (cropped).jpg
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba President 19 October 2009 London Conference on The Illegal Wildlife Trade (cropped).jpg
Flag of The Gambia.svg  The Gambia Adama Barrow President 19 January 2017 Adama Barrow - 2018 (39774084330) (cropped).jpg
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana Nana Akuffo-Addo President 7 January 2017 Nana Akufo-Addo at European Development Days 2017.jpg
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea VacantMembership Suspended10 September 2021 Coat of Arms of Guinea.svg
Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embaló President 27 February 2020 Umaro Sissoco Embalo (51315757792).jpg
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya William Ruto President 13 September 2022 William Ruto 2023.jpg
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Moeketsi Majoro Prime Minister 20 May 2020 Moeketsi Majoro (01910409) (9654273280) (cropped).jpg
Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia Joseph Boakai President 22 January 2024 President-elect Joseph Boakai (cropped).jpg
Flag of Libya.svg  Libya Mohamed al-Menfi Chairman of the Presidential Council 15 March 2021 Mukhammad Al'-Manfi (51120607759).jpg
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar Andry Rajoelina President 19 January 2019 Andry Rajoelina greeting crowd (cropped).jpg
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi Lazarus Chakwera President 28 June 2020 Lazarus Chakwera 2017.jpg
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali VacantMembership Suspended2 June 2021 Coat of arms of Mali.svg
Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania Mohamed Ould Ghazouani President 1 August 2019 Hi Excellency Mohammed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of Mauritania, at the UK-Africa Investment Summit, 20 January 2020 (cropped).jpg
Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth Prime Minister 23 January 2017 Pravind Jugnauth.jpg
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco Mohammed VI King 31 January 2017 King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Africa Forum Summit 2015 (cropped).jpg
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique Filipe Nyusi President 15 January 2015 Filipe Nyusi, President, Republic of Mozambique - 2018 (40689535485) (cropped).jpg
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia Hage Geingob President 21 March 2015 Hage Geingob.jpg
Flag of Niger.svg  Niger VacantMembership Suspended26 July 2023 Coat of arms of Niger.svg
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Bola Tinubu President 29 May 2023 Bola Tinubu portrait.jpg
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda Paul Kagame President 24 March 2000 Paul Kagame 2014.jpg
Flag of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.svg  Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Brahim Ghali President 12 July 2016 Brahim Ghali.jpg
Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe Carlos Vila Nova President 2 October 2021 WSIS FORUM 2015 Day 2 - Carlos Vila Nova (cropped).jpg
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal Bassirou Diomaye Faye President 2 April 2024 Bassirou Diomaye Faye - 2024 (cropped).jpg
Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles Wavel Ramkalawan President 26 October 2020 Wavel Ramkalawan (face) 2020.jpg
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio President 4 April 2018 Julius Maada Bio - 2023 (cropped).jpg
Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud President 23 May 2022 His Excellency President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.jpg
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa President 15 February 2018 Cyril Ramaphosa.jpg
Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit President 9 July 2011 Salva Kiir Mayardit at the White House (cropped).jpg
Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan VacantMembership Suspended26 October 2021 Emblem of Sudan.svg
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan President 19 March 2021 Samia Suluhu Hassan in May 2017.jpg
Flag of Togo.svg  Togo Faure Gnassingbé President 4 May 2005 Faure Gnassingbe 2014.png
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia Kais Saied President 23 October 2019 President Kais Saied cropped.jpg
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda Yoweri Museveni President 26 January 1986 Museveni July 2012 Cropped.jpg
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia Hakainde Hichilema President 21 August 2021 President of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema at the US SFRC (cropped).jpg
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa President 24 November 2017 Emmerson Mnangagwa (2019-01-15).jpg

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