2 mts read
- May 25, 2020, marked the 57th anniversary of the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)
- The OAU was established on 25 May 1963 to promote political, economic and social integration among the African States
May 25, 2020, marked the 57th anniversary of the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) amid the continent’s efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19.
The OAU was established on 25 May 1963 to promote political, economic and social integration among the African States, and also to eradicate colonialism, apartheid and neo-colonialism from the continent. It became the African Union on 09 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa, to achieve greater unity, cohesion and solidarity between African countries and nations.
May 25 is annually celebrated as Africa Day. This year’s celebrations included a special virtual broadcast featuring speeches by the President of the Republic of South Africa and Chair of the African Union (AU), President Cyril Ramaphosa; the AU Commission Chair His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat; the President of the Pan African Women Association, Ms Eunice Ipinge, and the AU Youth Envoy, Ms Aya Chebbi.
The broadcast also included one of the champions of Africa’s Liberation, the only remaining founding fathers of the OAU, H.E Dr Kenneth Kaunda of the Republic of Zambia. He has made immense contributions in establishing the organisation that strived to free the whole continent from colonialism. He served as Zambia’s first president and as the chairman of the OAU from 1970 to 1973. The event was broadcast on all major broadcasters and digital media platforms.
