This policy research seminar was held in Cape Town, from 27 to 29 April 2016 and convened about 30 prominent African, Asian, and Western policymakers, scholars, and civil society actors to reflect critically on the historical mission, progress, problems, and prospects of the African Union (AU) in a changing regional and global environment. The seminar considered seven key objectives: first, to review the performance of the AU 14 years after its creation, against the backdrop of its historical mission to achieve continental integration; second, to identify and elucidate the current regional
and global dynamics that impact on the agency of the AU; third, to assess the effectiveness of the AU’s security and governance architectures; fourth, to explore ways in which the Addis Ababa based
AU Commission can be capacitated to drive the agenda of the Union more effectively; fifth, to develop concrete ideas for building viable regional organisations and strengthening the relationship
between the AU and Africa’s regional economic communities (RECs); sixth, to make proposals on how to encourage South Africa and other regional leaders such as Nigeria and Algeria to become institutional champions in the interest of an effective AU; and finally, to identify the catalysts for more constructive partnerships between the AU and its external partners, including the African Diaspora.
