Today, 13 February 2026, the African Parliamentary Union (APU) celebrates its 50th anniversary since its foundation in Abidjan in 1976.

The celebration is themed ‘1976-2026 - Fifty years of parliamentary diplomacy in the service of Africa’.

As part of the celebrations, His Excellency the President of the Union's Executive Committee, Mr Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge, was in Abidjan from 5 to 7 February for a working visit.

He also paid courtesy visits to the Presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire.

The organisation's objective is to promote unity of action among the parliamentary institutions of African states, to establish itself as the forum for national parliaments on the African continent and as an instrument for parliamentary dialogue and cooperation in the service of peace, democracy, good governance and sustainable development.

It also aims to promote contacts between African parliamentarians on the one hand, and between African parliamentarians and those from the rest of the world on the other.

Each year, the APU organises two sessions of the Executive Committee and a Conference of Speakers of National Parliaments.

The Conference of Presidents of National Parliamentary Assemblies is the supreme body of the Union, composed of the presidents of national parliamentary assemblies or their representatives.

The Executive Committee is responsible for guiding the Union's activities and monitoring the implementation of the decisions, resolutions and recommendations of the Conference of Presidents.

The APU currently has 41 members: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Togo, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.