All-Africa Students Union

The All-Africa Students Union (AASU) is the umbrella organization of 75 national student unions from 54 countries, representing 170 million students across the African continent.^[1]^[2]

History

In 1972, student representatives from ten African countries gathered at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, to attend the first Congress of the All-Africa Students Union. Inspired by the Organisation of African Unity, the Congress aimed to unify students across the African continent in the spirit of Pan-Africanism.^[3]

In 1973, the second Congress of the All-Africa Students Union was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In 1974, the third Congress of the All-Africa Students Union was held in Alexandria, Egypt.^[4] In 1976, the fourth Congress of the All-Africa Students Union was held in Accra, Ghana, attended by the African National Congress and the South West African People Organization. In 1982, at the sixth Congress of the All-Africa Students Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 16 was declared African Students' Day, known as the Day of the African Child, in honor of the students who lost their lives in the Soweto Uprising.^[5] In 1987, the seventh Congress of the All-Africa Students Union was held in Luanda, Angola. In 1992, the eighth Congress of the All-Africa Students Union was held in Accra, Ghana. In 2000, the ninth Congress of the All-Africa Students Union was held in Tripoli, Libya, recognized by the United Nations for advancing students rights and expanding access to education across the African continent.^[6]

Governance

The All-Africa Students Union is governed by three constitutionally-mandated decision-making bodies: the Congress, the Executive Committee, and the Secretariat.^[7]

Congress

The Congress is the highest decision-making body of the All-Africa Students Union. Convened on a quadrennial basis, the Congress is composed of delegates from the All-Africa Students Union membership. Autonomous and operating according to principles of democratic decision-making, the Congress may amend the Constitution, and is charged with oversight of the Executive Committee and the Secretariat.^[7]^[8]

Executive Committee

The second decision-making arm of the All-Africa Students Union, the Executive Committee comprises the President; five Regional Vice Presidents (representing North Africa, South Africa, West Africa, East and Central Africa); five Executive Committee Representatives and six officers of the Secretariat, including the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, Secretary for Education, Secretary for Student Rights, Secretary for Press and Information, Secretary for Gender and International Relations, and Secretary for Finance and Administration. The Executive Committee provides political leadership, executes policies and programs adopted by the Congress, examines membership applications, and makes recommendations to the Congress.^[7]

Secretariat

Located in Accra, Ghana, and headed by the Secretary-General, the Secretariat serves as the headquarters of the All-Africa Students Union. The Secretariat is composed of six tenured staff elected by the Congress. and locally recruited permanent staff. Tenured staff are democratically elected officers who serve in positions mandated by the Congress in accordance with the Constitution, including the offices of the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, Secretary for Education and Students Rights, Secretary for Press and Information, Secretary for International Relations, and Secretary for Administration.^[7]

Permanent staff members are recruited by the Secretariat under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana. By statutory provisions, technical staff of the All-Africa Students Union are civil servants under the Supreme Law of Ghana, working under Finance, Audit, Human Resource, Operations, Technical, Programmes, Research and Communications. Personnel undergoing national service can be assigned to the staff of the All-Africa Students Union for a period of one year.^[7]

Membership

Country	Name	AASU Abbrev.
Algeria	l'Union Nationale des Étudiants Algériens	UNEA
Egypt	Students' Representative Council, Alexandria University	SRC-AU
Egypt	Students' Representative Council, Cairo University	SRC-CU
Libya	General Union of Libyan Student	GULS
Mauritania	L'Union nationale des étudiants mauritaniens	UNEM
Mauritania	Students' Representative Council, Université De Nouakchott	SRC-UN
Morocco	L'Union nationale des étudiants du Maroc	UNEM
Tunisia	Union Général Tunisienne Des Étudiants	UGTE
Benin	La Fédération Nationale des Étudiants du Benin	FNEB
Burkina Faso	La Fédération Estudiantine Et Scolaire Pour L’intégrité au Burkina Faso	FESCIBF
Cape Verde	Federação Nacional de Estudantes e Desporto Universitário	FNEDU
Côte d'Ivoire	Fédération estudiantine et scolaire de Côte d'Ivoire	FESCI
Côte d'Ivoire	Counseil National des Jeunes de Côte d'Ivoire	CNJCI
Gambia	National Union of Gambia Students	NUGS
Ghana	National Union of Ghana Students	NUGS
Ghana	Graduate Students Association of Ghana	GRASAG
Ghana	Ghana National Union of Technical Students	GNUTS
Ghana	Ghana Union of Professional Students	GUPS
Ghana	University Students Association of Ghana	USAG
Ghana	Union Scolaire et Estudiantine de Guinée	USEG
Guinea-Bissau	Plataforma Nacional das Associações Acadêmicas do Ensino Médio e Superior da Guiné Bissau	PNAAEMS-GB
Guinea-Bissau	The National Confederation of Student Associations of Guinea-Bissau	CONAEGUIB
Mali	Association Des Élèves Et Étudiants Du Mali	AEEM
Niger	Union Des Scolaires Niger	USN
Nigeria	Postgraduate Students Association of Nigeria	PSAN
Nigeria	National Association of Nigerian Students	NANS
Senegal	Students' Representative Council, Cheikh Anta Diop University	SRC-CADU
Sierra Leone	National Union of Sierra Leone Students	NUSS
Togo	Union National des Étudiants du Togo	UNETO
Angola	Union Nationale des Étudiants d'Angola	UNEA
Angola	Student Association, Universidade Agostinho Neto	UAN
Botswana	Botswana United Students Association	BUSA
Eswatini	Swaziland National Union of Students	SNUS
Lesotho	United Lesotho Students Association	ULSA
Zimbabwe	Malawi National Students Union	MANASU
Mozambique	União dos Estudantes Moçambicanos	UEM
Mozambique	Association of University Finalist Students of Mozambique	AEFUM
Namibia	Namibian National Students Organization	NANSO
South Africa	South African Union of Students	SAUS
South Africa	South African Students Congress	SASCO
Zambia	Zambia National Students Union	ZANASU
Zimbabwe	Zimbabwe National Students Union	ZINASU
Zimbabwe	Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union	ZICOSU
Cameroon	L'Association des Étudiants de l'Université de Yaoundé	AEUY
Cameroon	Students' Representative Council of International Relations Institute of Cameroon	SRC-IRIC
Central African Republic	L'Association nationale des étudiants centrafricains	ANEC
Chad	Union Nationale des Étudiants Tchadiens	UNET
Republic of the Congo	Mouvement des Élèves et Étudiants du Congo	MEEC
Democratic Republic of Congo	Représentation des Étudiants du Congo	RDC
Equatorial Guinea	Students' Representative Council of Universidad Nacional De Guinea Equatorial	SRC-UNGE
Gabon	Union Nationale des Etudiants du Gabon	UNEG
Sao Tome and Principe	Federação Nacional das Associações Acadêmicas da Universidade de São Tomé e Príncipe	FNAA-USTP
Sao Tome and Principe	Students' Representative Council of Universidade Lusíada de São Tomé e Príncipe	SRP-ULSTP
Burundi	Burundi National Students Union	BNSU
Comoros	Union Nationale de Jeunesse et des Etudiants des Comoros	UNJEC
Eritrea	National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students	NUEYS
Ethiopia	Ethiopian Higher Education Students Union	EHEISU
Kenya	University of Nairobi Students Association	UNSA
Kenya	Kenya University Students' Organisation	KUSO
Madagascar	Students' Representative Council, Université d'Antananarivo	SRC-UA
Madagascar	Comite Democratic Des Jeunes Et Des Etudiants De Madagascar	CDJEM
Mauritius	Council of Students & Youth Movement of Mauritius	COSYM
Rwanda	Rwanda National Students' Association	RNSA
Seychelles	Students' Representative Council, University of Seychelles	SRC-US
Somalia	Somalia Higher Education Students Union	SHESU
Sudan	General Sudanese Students Union	GSSU
South Sudan	South Sudanese Students Union	SSSU
Tanzania	Tanzania Higher Learning Institution Students Organisation	TAHLISO
Uganda	Uganda National Students Association	UNSA

References

^ Klemenčič, Manja; Luescher, Thierry; Otieno Jowi, James (2016). Student Politics in Africa: Representation and Activism. Capetown, South Africa: African Minds Publishing. pp. 9–26.
^ Erunke, Joseph (June 17, 2024). "AASU seeks urgent action to make education affordable in Africa". Vanguard.
^ Boahen, A.A. (1994). "The role of African student movements in the political and social evolution of Africa from 1900 to 1975". The General History of Africa: Studies and Documents. pp. 9–23.
^ Zeilig, L (2009). "The student-intelligentsia in sub-Saharan Africa: Structural adjustment, activism and transformation". Review of African Political Economy (36): 63–78.
^ "All-African Student Union commemorates African Students' Day - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
^ "UNITED NATIONS WORLD YOUTH AWARDS GIVEN TO AFRICAN YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". press.un.org. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Kwasi Kodjie, Peter; Mawuli-Kwawu, Elorm; Safowaa Kyei-Baffour, Awurama; Karim Ibrahim, Abdul; Amefianu Kudoafor, Bismarck; Akrong, Rexford (February 22, 2024). Klemenčič, Manja (ed.). The Bloomsbury Handbook of Student Politics and Representation in Higher Education (1st ed.). Great Britain: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 45–46. ISBN 9781350375970.
^ "All-Africa Students Union holds 13th elective congress to elect new executives". Modern Ghana. December 27, 2021.

[1] Klemenčič, Manja; Luescher, Thierry; Otieno Jowi, James (2016). Student Politics in Africa: Representation and Activism. Capetown, South Africa: African Minds Publishing. pp. 9–26.

[2] Erunke, Joseph (June 17, 2024). "AASU seeks urgent action to make education affordable in Africa". Vanguard.

[3] Boahen, A.A. (1994). "The role of African student movements in the political and social evolution of Africa from 1900 to 1975". The General History of Africa: Studies and Documents. pp. 9–23.

[4] Zeilig, L (2009). "The student-intelligentsia in sub-Saharan Africa: Structural adjustment, activism and transformation". Review of African Political Economy (36): 63–78.

[5] "All-African Student Union commemorates African Students' Day - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2024-08-16.

[6] "UNITED NATIONS WORLD YOUTH AWARDS GIVEN TO AFRICAN YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". press.un.org. Retrieved 2024-08-16.

[:0-7] Kwasi Kodjie, Peter; Mawuli-Kwawu, Elorm; Safowaa Kyei-Baffour, Awurama; Karim Ibrahim, Abdul; Amefianu Kudoafor, Bismarck; Akrong, Rexford (February 22, 2024). Klemenčič, Manja (ed.). The Bloomsbury Handbook of Student Politics and Representation in Higher Education (1st ed.). Great Britain: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 45–46. ISBN 9781350375970.

[8] "All-Africa Students Union holds 13th elective congress to elect new executives". Modern Ghana. December 27, 2021.

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