Foreign relations of the African Union


The individual member states of the African Union coordinate foreign policy through this agency, in addition to conducting their own international relations on a state-by-state basis. The AU represents the interests of African peoples at large in intergovernmental organizations ; for instance, it is a permanent observer at the United Nations' General Assembly.

Other intergovernmental organizations

Membership of the AU overlaps with other IGO's, and occasionally these third-party organizations and the AU will coordinate matters of public policy.

Political

Non-Aligned Movement
Commonwealth of Nations:
  • Botswana
  • Cameroon
  • Eswatini
  • Gabon
  • The Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
  • Malawi
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Nigeria
  • Rwanda
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • South Africa
  • Tanzania
  • Togo
  • Uganda
  • Zambia

Regional

Arab League:
  • Egypt
  • Sudan
  • Libya
  • Morocco
  • Tunisia
  • Algeria
  • Mauritania
  • Somalia
  • Djibouti
  • Comoros
  • Eritrea
Arab Maghreb Union:
  • Algeria
  • Libya
  • Mauritania
  • Morocco
  • Tunisia
Community of Sahel-Saharan States:
  • Libya
  • Burkina Faso
  • Mali
  • Niger
  • Chad
  • Sudan
  • Central African Republic
  • Eritrea
  • Djibouti
  • The Gambia
  • Senegal
  • Benin
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Egypt
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Liberia
  • Morocco
  • Nigeria
  • Sierra Leone
  • Somalia
  • Togo
  • Tunisia
Conseil de l'Entente:
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Benin
  • Burkina Faso
  • Niger
  • Togo

Economic

Greater Arab Free Trade Area:
  • Algeria
  • Egypt
  • Libya
  • Morocco
  • Sudan
  • Tunisia
Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries:
  • Burundi
  • D.R. Congo
  • Rwanda
G20 developing nations:
  • Egypt
  • Nigeria
  • South Africa
  • Tanzania
  • Zimbabwe
G-20 major economies:
  • South Africa
G33:
  • Benin
  • Botswana
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Kenya
  • Mauritius
  • Madagascar
  • Mozambique
  • Nigeria
  • Senegal
  • Tanzania
  • Uganda
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
G90:
  • Angola
  • Benin
  • Botswana
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cameroon
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Rep. Congo
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Djibouti
  • Egypt
  • Gabon
  • The Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • Guinea Bissau
  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Rwanda
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • South Africa
  • Swaziland
  • Tanzania
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
Group of 77:
  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Benin
  • Botswana
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Comoros
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Djibouti
  • Egypt
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • The Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Rwanda
  • São Tomé and Príncipe
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • Sudan
  • Swaziland
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda
  • Tanzania
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
Indian Ocean Commission:
  • Comoros
  • Madagascar
  • Mauritius
  • Seychelles
Liptako–Gourma Authority:
  • Burkina Faso,
  • Mali
  • Niger
Mano River Union:
  • Guinea
  • Liberia
  • Sierra Leone
OPEC:
  • Algeria
  • Libya
  • Nigeria

Linguistic

Community of Portuguese Language Countries:
  • Angola
  • Cape Verde
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Mozambique
  • São Tomé and Príncipe
Organisation internationale de la Francophonie:
  • Benin
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Comoros
  • Congo, Democratic Republic of the
  • Congo, Republic of
  • Ivory Coast
  • Djibouti
  • Egypt
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Gabon
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Madagascar
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Morocco
  • Niger
  • Rwanda
  • São Tomé and Príncipe
  • Senegal
  • Seychelles
  • Togo
  • Tunisia
Organization of Ibero-American States:
  • Equatorial Guinea

Religious

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation:
  • Algeria
  • Benin
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cameroon
  • Chad
  • Comoros
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Djibouti
  • Egypt
  • Gabon
  • The Gambia
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Libya
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • Sudan
  • Somalia
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda

Diplomatic missions

The African Union maintains special diplomatic representation with the United States, European Union, and as of 2022 has plans for a mission to the People's Republic of China. In 2011, the United States Mission to the African Union donated a state of the art multimedia box to the cash-starved African Union in a formal ceremony, in which they also presented new interns who will be trained to use it.

Foreign relations of constituent states