In 2022, Amani Africa Media and Research Services (Amani Africa) published a special research report providing an overview on the decision-making institutions of the African Union (AU). The special research report identified and typified AU decision-making actors and their respective roles and it outlined the decision-making processes of the AU. The report identified the need for Amani Africa to undertake further in-depth studies examining the attributes and roles of each of the AU’s key actors and how they fit into the AU’s decision-making processes. Such further studies would also explore the nuance between statutory functions and the actual practices of relevant actors.

This special research report builds on the above body of work by exploring how decision-making undertaken by one organ, the African Union Commission (AUC), influences the realisation of the goals and strategies of the AU. The report maps the roles of the AUC in the decision-making processes of the Union, drawing both from the AUC’s statutes as well as from practice.