United States-African Union Sign MOU to Strengthen Partnership

(Front left to right: Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson and Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma; Behind left to right: Ambassador Michael A. Battle and Ambassador Amina Ali)

On January 30, African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Dr. Nkozasana Dlamini-Zuma signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) further cementing the United States-African Union partnership.  Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Johnnie Carson, present at the AU signing ceremony, presented Chairperson’s Dlamini-Zuma’s signed copy of the MOU to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who signed the MOU as one of her last acts in office on February 1. This partnership MOU ushers in a new phase of the U.S.-AU relationship, which started in 2006 when the United States Mission to the African Union (USAU) was opened. 

The core of the U.S.-AU Partnership MOU is mirrored after President Obama’s Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) and the subsequent U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa, released by the White House in June 2012.  Both the PPD and the MOU focus on the following four pillars or areas of mutual interest: peace and security; democracy and governance; economic growth, trade, and investment; and promotion of opportunity and development.  The agreement also formalizes the annual U.S.-AU High-Level Dialogue, between the Secretary of State and the AU Chairperson, as well as Staff Talks between the AU Peace and Security Department and the U.S. Department of Defense.  Further, the MOU also allows for the exchange of related information on best practices, lessons learned, and other technical matters.

On August 3, 2010, the United States and the African Union signed a $5.8 million multi-year assistance agreement to achieve common policy objectives in the areas of peace and security, economic development, regional integration, health and social welfare, and good governance on the African continent.  Together, the 2010 assistance agreement, the 2012 PPD for sub-Saharan Africa, and recently signed U.S.-AU Partnership MOU provide a strong foundation for the U.S. to develop stable and secure partnership with African countries in the years ahead. 

Following the official signing ceremony, U.S. Ambassador Michael Battle remarked that the MOU allows for an expanded, broader, and more robust relationship between the United States and the African Union, moving the partnership beyond the peace and security realm.  He further commented that “the MOU signing is the fulfillment of many of the goals I set forth when I first arrived as U.S. Ambassador to the AU over three years ago.” 

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