Blog

After Foundation’s 2024 Letter Catalyzed Kenya’s Historic Advocacy for Haiti’s Inclusion in AU, Chairperson Youssouf Should Transmit Haiti’s Stalled Request
The Prince and Princess Charles Offokaja Foundation International, a think-and-do tank, today issued a clarion call to newly elected Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Amb. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf to rectify one of the AU’s most glaring oversights – the stalled membership bid of Haiti, the world’s first free Black republic.

The Foundation, which in September 2024, successfully petitioned Kenya to champion Haiti’s bid at the 2025 AU Summit, now urges immediate AUC action to correct the 2016 decision that stalled Haiti’s membership bid.

The Foundation extends its deepest gratitude to the Republic of Kenya and it’s listening leader, H.E. President William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto for the country’s visionary Pan-African leadership in championing Haiti’s rightful place in the African Union. Kenya’s historic advocacy demonstrates its unwavering commitment to uniting all six regions of Africa—including the Diaspora—as equal members of our continental family.

Director General of the Offokaja Foundation, Prince Charles Offokaja, stated, ‘Kenya’s call for Haiti to be officially recognized as part of Africa’s 6th Region is in line with Article 3 (q) of the Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union. Thus it reflects the legal and moral imperatives we humbly presented to them in our September 2024 advocacy letter.

Kenya’s courageous stand for Haiti’s inclusion has etched its name in the annals of Pan-African history. We must remember that the African Diaspora is not homogeneous, but instead is made up of several groupings. One group are migrants who still hold (or whose ancestors hold/held) AU passports; but another, more marginalized group are the Afro Americans whose ancestors were forcefully moved out of their original homes in Africa to the Americas during the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Not creating an avenue for Afro-American majority States and minority communities to participate fully in the building of the AU risks cutting them off permanently from their African roots. That’s unfair.

‘But by championing our shared conviction of the right of the Diaspora to Fully participate in the building of the African Union, Kenya has honored Mother Africa who yearns for a family fully united, covering all her children.

‘Kenya’s embrace of Article 3(q) has set a precedent for AU Member States to follow—one rooted in historical justice, not just geography. To Haitians and all descendants of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Kenya’s leadership sends a clarion call: We are one Big Family, and you have a right to participate Fully in the family meetings.’

This is diplomacy at its most noble—a triumph of principle over politics, and a testament to Kenya’s role as the beating heart of Pan-Africanism.

Consequently, we call upon AU Chairperson, H.E Mahmoud Ali Youssouf to duly transmit Haiti’s application in line with Article 3 (q). He should become the Great Emancipator of our time.

To the Member States, we call on you to join Kenya to vote Haiti in. Together, you can make the Sixth Region a beneficial reality to all Africans. Make Mother Africa proud.

The Path Forward

1. Immediate Transmission: The new AU Commission Chairperson must circulate Haiti’s 2016 application to all Member States for vote
2. Sixth Region Integration: African leaders must expressly invite and encourage States in the African Diaspora such as Brazil (the world’s second most populous black country); Jamaica (which has a very strong link with its African roots); Barbados (which has a Commission for Pan-African Affairs); and other Diaspora States to apply for AU membership
3. Encourage Economic Unity: Encourage future AU Member States like Haiti to join the AU’s free trade area, AfCFTA to unlock transformative trade opportunities. Prince Offokaja adds, ‘The ports of the 6th Region of Africa have to become ports of origin and of final destination in the framework of intra African trade within AfCFTA.’
As H.E. Governor Peter Mba of Enugu State, Nigeria recently declared: “AfCFTA is not a feel-good creation. Let us not allow regionalism to become a barrier to Pan-African growth. Let us unite our markets, our ports, our rails, and our ambitions.”

Why This Matters Now

– 2025 marks the AU’s “Year of Reparations”
– Haiti faces unprecedented crises while being denied its African identity
– Kenya’s leadership in calls for Haiti/6th Region recognition shows growing Pan-African consensus

Precedents
Haiti’s case mirrors several historical and geopolitical examples:

– The Arab League strictly adheres to Article 1 of its Charter and therefore includes Arab countries that aren’t geographically in the Arabian Peninsula within its Membership.

– The Lake Chad Basin Commission, strategically includes Libya and the Central African Republic, even though they don’t have a coastline on the lake.

– Seven of the 13 Member States of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), do not border the Black Sea but were crucially granted membership.

– The European Union’s current inclusion of the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla, despite their geographical location outside Europe.

‘Kenya has courageously set the ball rolling. It’s the turn of the new AUC Chairperson and the other Member States to take the Pan-African baton and run heroically with it. Make Mother Africa happy!’, concludes Prince Offokaja.

Campaign Hashtags:
#LetHaitiIn #AU6thRegion #AfricanDiaspora #AfroAmericans #PanAfricanism #HaitiToAU #HaitiToAfricanUnion

This statement is endorsed by the Offokaja Foundation’s global network of partners and allies.

Background on the Offokaja Foundation’s #HaitiToAU Efforts

As a think-and-do tank, we don’t just analyze problems – we drive solutions:

– September 2024: Successfully petitioned Kenya’s Pan-Africanist President William Samoe Ruto, a leader with a listening ear, to courageously speak up for Haiti’s inclusion in the AU at the 2025 AU Summit ‘even if at first he stands alone’.

– 2025 Summit: Secured Kenya’s historic advocacy at the AU Assembly, marking the first time since Haiti’s bid was stalled that an AU Member State formally pushed for Haiti’s inclusion in the AU

– Legal Groundwork: Established the ironclad case for Haiti’s qualification under Article 3(q) of the Protocol on Amendments to the AU Constitutive Act

Legal History

Our initial strategic litigation advocacy since 2020 has advanced critical legal discourse:

– Communication 748/21 (Offokaja Foundation v. Libya, 2020):

Rationale: the case was filed against Libya, the ideological cradle of the modern AU (via the 1999 Declaration that birthed the AU from the OAU) as a ‘cry for help’. The hope was to influence Libya to take up the cause for Haiti’s inclusion in the AU relying on Article 3 (q) and relevant provisions of the Union’s Constitutive Act.

In its Decision the Commission inter alia suggested the AUC’s Citizens and Diaspora Directorate (CIDO) as ‘an avenue for engagement the Complainant may wish to explore’.

But the Foundation’s main goal remains for Haiti and other willing 6th Region States to be given Full AU membership, and for willing members of minority Afro American communities to also be given alternative pathways to dual citizenship that could enable them participate Fully in the building of the AU in line with Article 3 (q).

While we appreciate any opportunity to engage with other civil society organizations via CIDO, we believe that Haiti and other willing 6th Region States should also have seats in the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

– ECW/CCJ/JUD/09/24 (Offokaja Foundation v. Nigeria, 2022):
Rationale: we wanted Nigeria, the most populous African country to bring up Haiti’s case at the AU, relying on Article 3 (q) and relevant provisions of the Union’s Constitutive Act.

Pivotal moment for Applicants: During oral hearing a judge inspired us by stating that while he personally supports our case for Haiti joining the African Union, the Honourable Court had no jurisdiction to adjudicate over the application. He advised the Plaintiffs to ‘take the matter to the UN, take the matter to the African Union’, and concluded that he’s impressed with the reasoning. This inspired us to continue despite the failure of the application.

While these cases didn’t yield favorable judgments, they were the stepping stones to our successful advocacy with Kenya, and the other successes to come.

How To Support

Support this cause by:

1. Using the hashtags #HaitiToAU and #LetHaitiIn to raise awareness.

2. Signing our petition to demand the AU transmit Haiti’s membership request.

3. Donating to amplify our advocacy!

Thank you for standing with us. Thank you for uniting Africa!