The Organization of African Unity

The Organization of African Unity (OAU) is a political regional intergovernmental organization. Founded in May 1963, the OAU is composed of fifty African nations, including all the independent states on the African continent except the Republic of South Africa. Many scholars trace the developments leading to creation of the OAU to the series of international meetings known as the Pan-African Congress. The activities of the OAU in the decade of the 1970s generated far more heat than light. The major institutions created by the OAU Charter are the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, the Council of Ministers, the Arbitration Commission, the Liberation Committee, and the General-Secretariat. The prospects for further integration in the OAU are minimal, given the probable continuation of the status quo. In terms of Schmitter's "actor strategies," the OAU institutions have been encapsulated, a condition that is likely to persist.