“SILENCING AFRICAN GUNS” IN THE AGE OF ANTHROPOCENE : A STRATEGIC PARADIGM FOR THE AFRICAN UNION

AU?s Agenda 2063 and the Imperative of Formalized Pacific Pan-Africanism In 2013 African governments, under the aegis of the African Union (AU), rededicated themselves to the ideals of Pan-African unity and signed a Solemn Declaration to that effect. The event, which was to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), was expressed as a commitment to achieve the goal of a conflict-free Africa, to make peace a reality?, and to rid the continent of wars?and not bequeath the burden of conflicts to the next generation of Africans. The OAU?s Assembly of Heads of State and Government set to achieve the said objective at the end of 2020 (African Union, n.d.). Consequently, Agenda 2063, a continent-wide social contract made up of 7 Aspirations and detailing a 50-year transformation vision from 2013 to 2063, was adopted by the AU and civil society actors in 2015. The 4th Aspiration: A Peaceful and Secure Africa, popularly known as Silencing the Guns, stated that?