ABSTRACT
Concern for the protection and promotion of human rights predated the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. The African record on human rights issues had been a bad one. The history of most post-independence African states is strewn with gross violations of human rights. The OAU remained indifferent to the many instances of human rights violations on the continent. The OAU had become more concerned with human rights issues since 1979. Thus “new” awareness was brought about partly by external pressures and partly by developments within some African countries, mainly Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, and the Central African Republic. The Charter is a significant step towards institutionalised protection and promotion of human rights in the continent. It has highlighted issues such as the rights of women and children and the economic and social duties of the state to its citizens, which have hitherto not been given due attention.
