African Union

Foreign Assistance Program Overview

U.S. assistance is designed to enable the African Union (AU) to drive reform across African countries to
help prevent, manage, and resolve conflict, respond to health emergencies, and accelerate investment and
opportunity, while improving social outcomes in education, health, youth empowerment, and gender
equality. The U.S. Mission to the African Union (USAU) aims to accelerate the development of the AU
as it undertakes significant reforms to fulfill its broad mandate and to achieve the ambitious goals set in
Agenda 2063, the AU’s 50 year continental vision and action plan to accelerate progress in Africa. The
U.S. partnership with the AU focuses on strengthening diplomatic mediation, political engagement,
non-military approaches to peacebuilding, advocacy, policy harmonization and coordination, youth
empowerment and education, strategic communication for participatory engagement, resource
mobilization, and joint initiatives with public, private, and non-traditional partners.

Request by Account and Fiscal Year

Change from
FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2018 FY 2019
($ in thousands) FY 2018
Actual Estimate Request Request
Request
TOTAL 389 * - 378 378
ESDF - * - 378 378
ESF 389 * - - -

Economic Support and Development Fund (ESDF)

USAU activities and robust programming advance U.S. national security interests by promoting strong
civil society, supporting good governance, economic opportunity, and democratic institutions in Africa.
ESDF funds will advance mutually-reinforcing activities in one pillar of the U.S.-AU Strategic
Partnership - Promoting Opportunity and Development. Given the AU’s commitment to principles of
democratic and sound governance, peace and security, advancing trade and sustainable development, the
U.S. government has an interest in supporting the AU’s efforts to play a meaningful, positive role in
promulgating these values across the continent, and strengthening its capacity to do so. Assistance
totaling $0.4 million will be used to accelerate the AU’s efforts to assist African member states, regional
economic communities, and African citizens in improving institutions and processes that drive African
regional integration and development. Specific activities will continue to contribute to women’s
empowerment and protection and youth employment and workforce development through investments in
education, training and improving the effectiveness of civil society and the private sector to advocate for
enabling environments for investments in energy, food security, health, and trade.

Key Program Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Activities

Programs managed by USAID are monitored closely, employing results-based funding mechanisms that
enable highly accurate funds monitoring against targets under the USAID assistance agreement with the
AU. Additionally, via multiple partner coordination platforms, the United States engages in
comprehensive strategic planning and review exercises which eliminate the possibility of duplicative
efforts and improve leveraging capabilities. Monitoring reviews and joint evaluations allowed for
identification of gap programmatic areas high on U.S. and AU priorities and representing strategic

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opportunity for influence and continental impact. One such area includes protection for vulnerable
populations, a matter highly relevant to the current continental trends in the area of conflict and migration.

During 2016 and 2017, program reviews were conducted for activities in all thematic areas, including
trade, youth empowerment, women, peace and security, rule of law, and institutional capacity building
through technical working groups. For example, the working group that covered gender and women,
peace and security issues determined that the AU has been able to attract other donor resources to support
the large continental mandate on gender equality. An AU gender strategy was prioritized and
fast-tracked in 2017 making it possible to be approved at the next AU Heads of State Summit in January
2018.

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