THE AFRICAN UNION AS A NEW HOPE FOR AFRICA’S PROBLEMS Assessing the effectiveness of the African Union as a corrective measure for the failures of the O.A.U

THE AFRICAN UNION AS A NEW HOPE FOR AFRICA’S PROBLEMS Assessing the effectiveness of the African Union as a corrective measure for the failures of the Organisation of African Unity Africa still remains a continent troubled by conflict and poor governance. The efforts of the Organisation of African Unity to free the continent from Colonialism and promote Social and Economic Development seem to have eluded the continent. This can be proved by the number of inter and intra-state wars which have characterised most African countries. This thesis will try to highlight some of the challenges facing the African continent and some of the measures the African Union is trying to put in place to address them. The thesis will then try to analyse how the New African Union is better equipped to deal with these challenges by putting more emphasis on the Dispute Settlement Mechanism and the sanctions. By developing this argument, this thesis highlights the important role that regional organisations play in promoting social and economic development, peace and good governance. It will point out why Africa through the African Union needs to be actively involved in solving its own problems.