African Union to Take Effect In May

27 April 2001
allAfrica.com
By A Special Correspondent

Abuja — The proposed African Union will have legal treaty status from May, 26, 2001, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) said in a press statement here Friday.

The OAU said this development followed ratification of the act late Thursday by Nigeria, which brought to 36 the number of African countries that have ratified the act. Article 28 of the act requires two-thirds of the member states to ratify it before it can come into effect.

"With the deposit by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the legal requirement of the ratification by two-thirds of the member states of the OAU has been satisfied," the statement said. "Consequently, the constitutive act of the African Union shall now enter into force on 26th May 2001."

The statement quoted Salim A. Salim, Secretary-General of the OAU, as saying that the attainment of the legal requirements for the constitutive act was a "historic development with far-reaching consequences for African countries and people and the continent as a whole." Salim said the African Union has now become "both a political and legal reality."

He made the announcement in an address to the African Summit on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other related infectious diseases, organised by the OAU. The summit ended late Friday.

The African Union seeks to create a common market for the continent, as well as a common currency, among other objectives.

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