The OAU/AU at 50: Democratic Governance as a Precondition for a Sustainable African Future

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs evaluates the 50-year trajectory of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and its successor, the African Union (AU). It argues that while the AU has improved peace and security compared to the OAU, it struggles to implement democratic governance reforms and lacks the political will and resources to drive a sustainable developmental agenda across the continent.

• The African Union (AU) has demonstrated greater success in enhancing continental security than the Organisation for African Unity (OAU), which suffered from a policy of non-interference and a lack of tools to address the root causes of poverty and conflict.
• Despite economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa—with the World Bank projecting growth above 5% for 2013–2014 and foreign direct investment expected to reach $54 billion by 2015—poverty and inequality persist, often driven by natural resource-led growth.
• The AU faces significant operational constraints, including a chronic lack of staff—with fewer than 1,000 active employees supporting 10 commissioners—and a heavy reliance on external funding, as international partners fund 90% of its programmes and peace operations.
• The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) has seen limited impact; although 33 member states joined and 17 completed first reviews, the process is largely unknown to the public, and the implementation of National Programmes of Action (NPoAs) is often non-existent.
• Democratic progress is undermined by a lack of political will at the AU Assembly level and the practice of leaders amending constitutions to extend their terms in power.
• The document recommends that the AU prioritise the operationalisation of the African Governance Architecture, strengthen Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as building blocks for integration, and use the APRM to help member states generate funding for their NPoAs.

APA

Hengari, T. A., & Turianskyi, Y. (2014). The OAU/AU at 50: Democratic Governance as a Precondition for a Sustainable African Future. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Policy-Briefing-82.pdf

Chicago

Hengari, Tjiurimo Alfredo, and Yarik Turianskyi. The OAU/AU at 50: Democratic Governance as a Precondition for a Sustainable African Future. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Policy-Briefing-82.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hengari |first1=Tjiurimo Alfredo |last2=Turianskyi |first2=Yarik |title=The OAU/AU at 50: Democratic Governance as a Precondition for a Sustainable African Future |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=January 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Policy-Briefing-82.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hengari2014oauau, author = {Hengari, Tjiurimo Alfredo and Turianskyi, Yarik}, title = {{The OAU/AU at 50: Democratic Governance as a Precondition for a Sustainable African Future}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Policy-Briefing-82.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }