Ghana and its first president, Kwame Nkrumah played a key role in the formation of the OAU by first forming the Ghana-Guinea-Mali Union, giving financial aid to fellow needy African countries, organizing the All-Africa People’s Conference in Accra, taking a firm position on its demand for an immediate African political unity and participating in the conference in Addis Ababa that gave birth to the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
This tutorial presents to you a sample essay on the WAEC/WASSCE History question below. You might also meet this same question on Ghana’s contribution to the formation of the OAU in a typical WAEC/WASSCE Government test.
DISCUSS THE ROLE OF GHANA IN THE FORMATION OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY (OAU)
Introduction – Formation of the OAU
The Organization of African Unity was formed on May 25 1963 in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Thirty-two leaders of independent African states signed the OAU Charter that brought the organization into being.
Among the 32 founding nations of the OAU were Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Cameroon, Cote d’ivoire and Egypt.
Prominent among the 32 African leaders who were present at the founding ceremony of the OAU were Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia.
Other founding fathers of the OAU were the following.
- Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Prime Minister of Nigeria
- Gamal Abdul Nasser, President of Egypt
- Ben Bella, President of Algeria
- Milton Obote, Prime Minister of Uganda
- Amadu Ahidjo, President of Cameroon
- Leopold Senghor, President of Senegal
- Modibo Keita, President of Mali
- Sekou Ture, President of Guinea
- Julius Nyerere, President of Tanzania
- Jomo Kenyatta, Prime Minister of Kenya
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Casablanca Group vs Monrovia Group
Prior to the formation of the Organization of African Unity, two major opposing groups emerged within the ranks of the African leaders. They were the Casablanca Group and the Monrovia Group.
The main source of disagreement between these two blocs was on the question of whether there should be a quicker movement towards a complete political unity on the continent.
While the Casablanca group advocated an immediate political unity of all African states, the Monrovia group disagreed.
The seven members of the more radical Casablanca Group were Morocco, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Algeria, Egypt, and Libya.
The Monrovia Group, on the other hand, comprised Liberia, Nigeria, Togo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Cameroon, Tunisia and Sierra Leone; including all members of the Brazzaville Group.
The twelve members of the Brazzaville Group played a major role in the founding of the African Development Bank Group.
Why the OAU Changed to AU
On Tuesday July 9 2002, the OAU changed its name to African Union or simply AU at a ceremony in Durban, South Africa. The last Chairman of the OAU was Thabo Mbeki, the then President of South Africa. Thabo Mbeki also became the first chairman of the new African Union.
So why was it necessary to change the name of the OAU to AU? African leaders saw the need to transform the OAU to AU primarily to emphasize the long-term objective of the union which remains the political unity of the entire continent.
Moreover, the new challenges that came up after the end of the liberation struggle called for a different approach to tackling the problems facing the African continent. Hence the changeover to the African Union.
There may be other reasons why the African leaders chose the new name, African Union. However, this is not our objective in this tutorial. We shall, therefore, leave it for another post.
Membership of the AU – Formerly, OAU
Today, the total membership of the AU, formerly OAU stands at 55. For many years, Morocco had been out of the OAU.
However, Morocco later rejoined the AU, the OAU’s successor, on January 31 2017.
Why Morocco Left the OAU
Morocco left the OAU in the year 1984 in protest against the OAU’s recognition of the Polisario Front of Western Sahara. The OAU allowed the Polisario Front, the representative of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which was in a struggle for independence from Morocco to become part of the OAU. Morocco considered Western Sahara as part of its territory and was unwilling to sit at the same table with the Polisario Front which it considered a rebel movement.
See below a summary of the key details of the formation of the OAU, now AU. It includes the first three chairmen and the last Chairman of the Organization of African States.
- Date: 25th May, 1963
- Place: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- First Chairman of OAU: Emperor Haile Selassie, Ethiopia
- Second Chairman of OAU: General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria
- Third Chairman of OAU: General Mohammed Siyad Barre, Somalia
- Last Chairman (at the changeover to African Union, AU): Thabo Mbeki
- Coming into force of the OAU Charter: 13th September, 1963.
Past Secretary-Generals of OAU
Here comes the list of past Secretary-Generals of the OAU. As you can see, the first Secretary-General of the OAU was Diallo Telli of Guinea. The others follow in that order until the appointment of Amara Essy of Cote d’ivoire, the last Secretary-General of the OAU.
- Diallo Telli of Guinea
- Nzo Ekangaki of Cameroon
- William Eteki Mboumma of Cameroon
- Edem Kojo of Togo
- Peter Onu of Nigeria
- Ide Oumarou of Niger
- Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania
- Amara Essy of Cote d’ivoire (Last Secretary-General of OAU)
Now that you have enough background information on the formation and history of the OAU, let’s quickly look at the role of Ghana and its founding president, Kwame Nkrumah, in the formation of the OAU.
Please note that this is where the main sample essay on the role of Ghana in the formation of the OAU begins.
Ghana’s Contribution in the Formation of OAU
The Organization of African Unity (OAU) was an association of independent African states formed on May 25 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ghana played a significant role in the founding of the OAU.
In fact, at independence Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, declared that the independence of Ghana was meaningless unless it was linked up with the total liberation of the African continent.
Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah, therefore, played an active role in the activities that culminated in the formation of the Organization of African Unity.
We shall now discuss the ways in which Ghana and its founding father, Kwame Nkrumah, contributed to the formation of the OAU.
The CPP Manifesto Championed African Unity
Kwame Nkrumah was so passionate about the political unity of Africa that his party, the Convention People’s Party had the achievement of African Unity and Pan-Africanism as one of its main objectives.
Sub-Regional Integration
Ghana set the tone at the sub-regional level when she formed a union with Guinea and Mali in 1958. The Ghana-Guinea-Mali Union was more or less a confederation of the three West African states. It formed the nucleus of Kwame Nkrumah’s dream of an eventual African federation.
Economic Aid to African States
Thirdly, Ghana supported a number of African states with financial aid. Guinea and Mali, for example were beneficiaries of economic aid from Ghana. Guinea, for instance, was given £10 million.
Support for Liberation Movements
Kwame Nkrumah spearheaded the drive towards the complete liberation of the whole of Africa. It was through Ghana’s active support that Guinea gained her independence in 1958. Since the OAU was made up of only independent African states, Ghana saw the need to support those still under colonial rule to gain their political freedom.
Two Major Conferences
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah convened two conferences in Accra in 1958 to advance the cause of African Unity. These were the first Heads of State Conference and The All Africa People’s Conference
The conferences attempted to resolve the differences between the Casablanca and Monrovia blocs regarding the aims, structure and character of the OAU.
Nkrumah made contacts with leaders of already independent African countries such as the leaders Guinea, Egypt, Tunisia and Upper Volta (Burkina Faso) of Tunisia.
These contacts led to the conference for independent African states held in Accra in April, 1958. The conference resolved to give maximum support to other African countries still fighting for independence.
Later in December 1958, Ghana hosted the All-African People’s Conference in Accra. In attendance were the heads of the independent African states as well as representatives of nationalist movements from almost every African country.
They returned to their respective countries with fresh ideas about the liberation struggles and African unity.
Ghana Pushed for Immediate Political Unity
Together with Guinea, Mali, Algeria, Egypt and Morocco, Ghana formed the radical Casablanca group in the early 1960’s. The Casablanca group stood for a complete political integration of Africa into a United Sates of Africans.
This idea of African unity was opposed by the members of the Brazaville and Monrovia groups. The Monrovia Group, in particular, advocated limited co-operation in various forms among African states.
Foreign Policy of Neutrality
To promote the ideals of the OAU and to make sure that nothing stood in the way of the organization in its formative years, Kwame Nkrumah pursued a foreign policy he described as positive neutrality.
This was the period of the Cold War. And Ghana would not like to be bogged down by the effects of the raging hostility between the US and her allies on the one hand, and the Soviet Union and its satellite states, on the other.
This was why Kwame Nkrumah went on to help form the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
In 1960, Ghana attended the second All-African People’s Conference held in Tunis. She also participated in other conferences at which the nature of the relationship among Africa countries and with the rest of the world was spelt out.
For example, they emphasized respect for the territorial integrity of all states and non-alignment as a collective foreign policy.
Thus, the OAU saw a partner in the larger Non-Aligned Movement that helped it to aggressively pursue its founding objectives.
The OAU Charter
Finally, Ghana was instrumental in the drawing of the OAU Charter. This was the official constitution of the OAU.
And when it was time for the official launching of the OAU, Ghana was present. This historic event happened on May 25 1963 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
Conclusion
We have seen the significant role that Ghana and its founding president, Kwame Nkrumah played in the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Today, the OAU is no more. It has been replaced by the African Union (AU). The AU came in response to the new challenges facing Africa. It is determined to work more effectively than the its predecessor, the OAU towards the achievement of the aspirations of the people of Africa.
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