The African Union: An Introduction

President Park Geun-hye will meet key officials while at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
She's there to understand the union's past so Korea can help it achieve its political and economic goals.
Kim-jung soo sheds light on the history of the AU... and its promising future ahead.
The African Union is the largest coalition in the world in terms of size and population, with 54 member states...Morocco is the only African country excluded from membership.
The union was established in May 2001 and launched on July 2002 in South Africa.



It recognizes four official languages, and there are estimated to be over a 1000 African dialects.
It has a combined population of more than one-billion people, and a combined GDP of over 2-trillion U.S. dollars.
The latest member to join the AU was South Sudan in 2011.

Africa went through a rapid period of decolonization beginning in 1950, and the precursor to the AU, the Organization of African Unity, was founded in 1963.

It was launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments.
The OAU's main purpose was to facilitate coordination with other members to achieve a better life for the African people.
Another goal involved eradicating all remaining forms of colonial oppression.
The OAU was disbanded on July 2002 by its final chairperson, South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, and replaced by the African Union the same year.
Conceived by then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as a "United States of Africa," the structure of the African Union is loosely modelled after the European Union.


Although the members are united under one banner, the union still has to improve in many ways economically.
The AU generates 70 percent of the strategic minerals business and is an important player in international trade, but 42 currencies in circulation complicate transcations.
The AU's future objectives include the creation of a singular customs union, a central bank, and a common currency. The union is