Roles of AU Bodies and Institutions with a mandate on democratic governance

Course Title: Role of the African Union and its specialised organs

Course instructor: Ibraheem Bukunle Sanusi

Coordinator : Andrew Songa 

Contact : andrewsonga@epd.eu 

Course start date: 09/01/2023

Course breakdown: the course is divided into 4 modules

Course outline:

Introduction to the African Union (AU)

Roles and missions of the African Union

Roles of AU Bodies and Institutions with a mandate on democratic governance

Mechanisms for promoting good governance of the AU and sub-regional institutions

Course description:

This course will focus on how the African Union (AU) through its organs and instruments such as the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) has taken the appropriate measures to strengthen and resource the organs that are mandated to promote democracy, good governance, protect human rights and fight impunity.

Beyond the ACDEG, the AU has other with other key organs, including the Pan-African Parliament, the Peace and Security Council, the African Human Rights Commission, the African Court of Justice and Human Rights, the Economic, Social and Cultural Council, the Regional Economic Communities and appropriate structures at the regional and national level to reach these outcomes.

Objectives

This course aims to provide an understanding of the AU and its institutions, its functioning, role and missions. Beyond these basics, learners who are largely members of civil society need to have a background and know the ways and means to engage effectively with the AU and its specialised institutions to:

Provide reliable data on mechanisms to engage with AU organs

Fostering citizen participation in AU institutions

Strengthen civil society across Africa in its ability to represent citizens at the continental level, working to promote democratic governance in AU member states.

Enhance civic initiatives, particularly those led by youth in their ability to harness knowledge, data and techniques to analyse, monitor and promote the implementation of the ACDEG.

Format:

The course modules are in video format and available in a downloadable PDF format or as podcast excerpts. 

Several types of resources and activities (video clips, external links, quizzes, interactive activities, etc.) are available.

Ils peuvent également combiner plusieurs types de ressources et d’activités : capsules vidéo, liens externes, quiz, activités interactives, etc..

Evaluation methods

A quiz at the end of the course will allow participants to assess themselves. This evaluation will be based on the content of the videos.