The launching of the African Union on 9 July 2002 marked the turning of a new page in Africa's modern history. This is especially significant in the context of efforts by African nations to achieve deeper political unity and economic integration. The Constitutive Act of the African Union was adopted barely nine months after the adoption of the Sirte Declaration on 9 September 1999, by which African leaders decided to reorient the objectives of the Organization of African Unity to accelerate African integration as a pillar of the continent's collective response to the challenge of globalization. This article argues that while the speedy elaboration, adoption and ratification of the Act demonstrated the collective desire of African countries to accelerate the process of integration, this rush inadvertently precluded a serious debate on the nature and scope of integration entailed in the project of the African Union. The result was the adoption of a document regarded by some of its own signatories, for varied reasons, as an instrument lacking in substance and limited in its scope. These perceived inadequacies have necessitated the early amendment of the Act. However, it is argued here that these amendments will do nothing to hasten the pace of African political unity or economic integration, as they are largely symbolic. They do not deal with the substantive lacunae identified in the Act.

The African Union marks a new era in institution-building in postcolonial Africa. It is conceived as an aspect of Africa's response to the challenges of globalization and regional integration. It is also part of the historic quest for deeper African unity. This discussion focuses on the political and contextual dynamics behind this development, and assesses its significance for the project of African integration. While offering no extensive examination of all the core provisions of the Constitutive Act, particular attention has been paid to some key principles. It is argued that the African Union represents a significant departure from the political, legal, and institutional framework of the OAU, and is predicated on a range of principles that reflect new thinking and approaches among the African states.