What is the Difference Between OAU and AU?

The main difference between the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the African Union (AU) lies in their objectives and scope. The OAU was primarily focused on liberating Africa from colonial rule and maintaining the territorial sovereignty of its members, while the AU is conceived as a union of Africa's peoples with a broader scope and mandate, reflecting greater transparency, openness, and a willingness to respect human rights. Some key differences between the OAU and the AU include:

1. Focus: The OAU was mostly concerned with liberating Africa from colonization, while the AU focuses on promoting and protecting human rights, consolidating democratic institutions and culture, building new institutions to monitor and promote peace, security, and development, and ensuring good governance and the rule of law.
2. Structure: The AU has a more comprehensive structure, including institutions such as the Pan-African Parliament, the Peace and Security Council, the African Standby Force, the African Bank, a court of justice, and a heads of state NEPAD implementation committee.
3. People's Participation: The AU is designed to include institutions for people's participation, such as the Pan-African Parliament, which the OAU lacked.
4. Conflict Management: The AU has a more proactive mandate than the OAU in terms of conflict management and has addressed some of the structural and practical weaknesses of its predecessor.

Overall, the transition from the OAU to the AU represents a shift from an organization focused on the interests of African leaders to one that aims to serve and represent the people of Africa.

Comparative Table: OAU vs AU

The Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the African Union (AU) are two intergovernmental organizations with different scopes, mandates, and structures. Here is a table highlighting the differences between the two:

The AU replaced the OAU in 2002, with the goal of addressing the changing needs of Africa and its people. The AU has a more robust structure and is designed to tackle the challenges of the 21st century, while the OAU was limited in its ability to intervene in the internal affairs of member nations and lacked strong institutions for peacemaking and peacekeeping.