Politics
Haiti on course to joining African Union in January 2013
Haiti will become the latest member of the African Union sometime in January 2013.
Haiti and Africa share a sense of history, and African countries stepped up in the wake of Haiti’s earthquake, which has led some to conclude the time is right to formalize their ties.
The African Union has 54 member states, all of them are located in Africa. But as early as January, that could change.
Last July, at an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Haiti’s communication minister Ady Jean-Gardy moved to make it official.
“We’re already in the Organization of American States,” he said. “We have a representative at the European Union, and we think we should be in the African Union.”
Jean-Gardy said an African Union membership could lead to economic exchanges geared toward development, and inclusion in African trading blocs.
