International Groups with African Members

Nov 06, 2025 0

Several international groups include African nations, fostering cooperation and addressing various issues across the continent. These groups range from political unions to economic communities, each with unique goals and structures.

Here's an overview of some prominent international groups with African members:

The African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which dissolved itself on July 9, 2002.

The AU's key objectives include:

Promoting unity and solidarity among African states.
Accelerating the political and socio-economic integration of the continent.
Promoting peace, security, and stability in Africa.
Advancing democratic principles and institutions.
Promoting sustainable development and economic growth.

Organizational Structure

The African Union operates through several key organs:

Assembly of Heads of State and Government: This is the AU’s supreme policy and decision-making organ, comprised of all Member State Heads of State and Government. The Assembly determines the AU’s policies, establishes its priorities, adopts its annual program, and monitors the implementation of its policies and decisions. Provisions governing the Assembly’s composition, functions and powers, voting and procedures are contained in articles 6 to 9 of the Constitutive Act and Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act.
Executive Council: The Executive Council coordinates and makes decisions on policies of common interest to the Member States. It considers issues referred to it and monitors the implementation of policies formulated by the Assembly. The Executive Council is composed of foreign ministers or such other ministers or authorities as are designated by the governments of Member States. The Executive Council makes decisions by consensus or, where consensus is not possible, by a two-thirds majority vote by Member States. Matters of procedure, including the question of whether a matter is one of procedure or not, are decided by a simple majority. Two-thirds of AU members are required to form a quorum at any Executive Council meeting.
African Union Commission (AUC): The African Union Commission (AUC) is the AU’s secretariat and undertakes the day to day activities of the Union. It is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Commission is composed of a chairperson, deputy chairperson and eight commissioners, plus staff. The Assembly elects the AUC Chairperson and AUC Deputy Chairperson. The Executive Council elects the eight AUC Commissioners, who are appointed by the Assembly. Commission members’ terms are for four years, renewable once.
African Court of Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR): The African Court of Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR) was founded in 2004 by a merger of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Court of Justice of the African Union. It has jurisdiction over all cases and disputes submitted to it concerning the interpretation and application of The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which is the main human rights instrument in Africa; The Protocol that established the Court; AU Constitutive Act; AU treaties and all subsidiary legal instruments; the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Charter); the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol); other human rights treaties or instruments ratified by the state party; and any question of international law. The AfCHPR is based in Dodoma, Tanzania. The Court consists of 11 judges elected by the AU Assembly from African jurists nominated by State Parties to the Protocol. The Assembly considers equitable geographical, legal tradition and gender representation. They serve six-year terms, renewable once. The Court sits four times a year in two-week ordinary sessions.

The Africa Group at the United Nations

The Member States in the United Nations General Assembly are divided into various geographical groupings. The Africa Group at the United Nations is made up of the 54 African Union Member States at the United Nations. The group is chaired by an Ambassador from a Member State, with the position rotating monthly.

The Africa Governance Report 2025 (AGR25) is the fourth report produced by the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) on behalf of the African Governance Architecture (AGA).

The African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (AUCEVAWG) is a comprehensive legal instrument for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls on the Continent. The Convention was adopted during the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in February 2025.

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Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The 15 members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

The main goal of ECOWAS is to promote economic cooperation among member states in order to raise living standards and promote economic development. ECOWAS has also worked to address some security issues by developing a peacekeeping force for conflicts in the region.

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In September 2016, USTR hosted ECOWAS officials for the second meeting of the United States-ECOWAS Trade and Investment Framework Agreement Council. goods exports to ECOWAS in 2022 were $6.7 billion, down 3.3 percent ($226 million) from 2021 and down 20 percent from 2012.

Other International Groups

Besides the AU and ECOWAS, African nations also participate in other global organizations:

Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA): Members include Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD)

These international groups play a crucial role in shaping the political, economic, and social landscape of Africa. By fostering cooperation and addressing common challenges, they contribute to the continent's development and integration into the global community.

Member States List:

The regional members of the African Union include:

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Non-regional members include:

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey (Turkiye), UAE (ADF member only), UK, USA