What are the challenges facing the AU today? How can these challenges be met?

» Seyoum Mesfin: It is critical to understand the challenges of the AU. Africa is a continent endowed with huge natural and human resources. Despite that Africa is still the least developed region compared to other regions of the globe. Africa's human resources have to be transformed into human capital. We have to advance in education, science and technology in order to be able to fully develop and utilize the natural resources to ensuring the development of the continent.

Africa today is not the Africa of yesterday. The continent has proved that its future is bright. After Asia, Africa is the world's fastest developing continent. Statistics released by the IMF and the World Bank in 2012 show that out of 29 of the fastest developing economies in the world, 16 are in Africa, with my country Ethiopia included. Africa is truly rising. The role of the AU is also rising in forging ahead partnership and cooperation between Africa and other regions.

Lastly, the AU has been struggling hard than any other organization to make African collective voices be heard at international foras. We can only have an impact if we use the collective voice of 54 countries. Africa is one of the continents that is affected by the impact of climate change which is not of its own making. Africa can collectively negotiate for mitigation and adaptation of the negative impact of climate change and ensure that this global threat is averted through collective action by the global community. We need to interact with the global community to do this, so the AU in particular is our collective voice to safeguard the interests of Africa.

» Nolana Ta Ama, Ambassador of Togo: If we refer to the Charter of the AU, notably its Preamble and Article 2, it clearly reflects that the founding fathers of the OAU wanted the organization to deal courageously, utilizing the means available to them, and unleash Africa from the yoke of colonialism in all its salient forms, including political, economic, cultural and racial domination. 

By what means was this to happen? By any form of struggle permitted by the international community and the Charter of the United Nations. As liberated states, with the support of nations outside the continent (including China), the continent was to move forward whether by sword or word.

To achieve economic liberation at that level of struggle, the objective was to recover our natural resources in order to establish a new economic regime based on equality and the pursuit of justice, and realize durable and sustainable economic development.

With regard to the struggle for racial and cultural emancipation, change came through the pursuit of eradicating ignorance caused by illiteracy.

These are the major challenges that the OAU has faced and solved in a satisfactory manner.

» Hassane Rabehi: Challenges are the continuing conflict situations that could derail the continent's march toward development.

The AU will continueto seek to achieve the common African vision of development, peace and integration.

Education, self-sufficient food production, unemployment, illegal immigration, refugees, agriculture, environmental and climate change, and a lack of financial means are also some of the challenges for the Union. Health poses a great challenge, and is being dealt with by accelerating Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa and by fighting the scourges of HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. Africa, like the rest of the world, is grappling with the problem of illicit drug trafficking and abuse, and related crimes. Arms smuggling and narcotic drugs and associated crime are a veritable scourge undermining the continent's peace, security, social development and public health.

The AU is aware of the challenges that lie ahead of us, and will do everything in its power to achieve the goals of the continental agenda, including stability, security and development.