The African Union and its Institutions

The International Peace Institute recently held a panel discussion to launch a new volume, The African Union (AU) and Its Institutions, edited by John Akokpari, Angela Ndinga-Muvumba, and Tim Murithi.

With chapters by eminent policymakers, practitioners, and civil society representatives who have worked in or with the African Union (AU), the volume brings together analysis and research by seventeen Africa experts. The AU has established an impressive array of institutions to deal with Africa’s security and governance challenges and this book puts forward a robust scholarship that allows reflection on what needs to be done to fulfill the challenging objectives that the institution has set for itself.

Moderated by IPI Senior Adviser Ambassador John L. Hirsch, the lunchtime discussion was introduced by Dr. Adekeye Adebajo, Executive Director, Centre for Conflict Resolution, Cape Town. Dr. Adebajo gave an introduction to the book, before inviting remarks from two of the book’s chapter authors: Professor Adebayo Adedeji, Chair of the High-Level Panel of the Audit of the African Union of 2007, and Ms. Winnie Byanyima, Director, Gender Team, Bureau for Development Policy, United Nations Development Programme. They each reflected on the importance of the book and engaged the audience in robust discussion on the role of the African Union.

John Akokpari, Angela Ndinga-Muvumba, and Tim Murithi, eds. The African Union and Its Institutions (Cape Town: Jacana Media, 2008)

Moderator
Ambassador John Hirsch, Senior Adviser, International Peace Institute

Speakers
Dr. Adekeye Adebajo, Executive Director, Centre for Conflict Resolution, University of Cape Town

Professor Adebayo Adedeji, Member of the African Peer Review Mechanism Panel of Eminent Persons; and Chair of the High-Level Panel of the Audit of the African Union of 2007

Ms. Winnie Byanyima, Director, Gender Team, Bureau for Development Policy, United Nations Development Programme