The African Union’s bid to have its member states fund almost 40% of its programme budget in 2018 is a step in the right direction. Although this financial independence initiative was mooted in 2005 and gained traction ten years later, the continental body’s operation budget is still heavily drawn from foreign remittances. 

Getting member states to meet their financial obligations has not  been easy hence burdening five countries namely-- Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Member states have generally failed to pay their contributions not because of lack of money but because of their leaderships lack of commitment to the AU ideals.  

If African nations still rely on external funding to run their umbrella body since they got independence from colonial powers in the 1960s, it is difficult to think of the AU as a serious coalition of member nations. May member states save the AU from this shame.