Cité De L'Union Africaine

The Cité de l'Union Africaine (City of the African Union) or Cité de l'OUA (City of OAU) is a governmental complex situated in the Ngaliema commune of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is strategically located near Mont Ngaliema and serves as a venue for diplomatic and governmental functions.

The complex was commissioned by President Mobutu Sese Seko in 1967 when Kinshasa hosted the heads of state summit of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Since then, it has served as the sanctum sanctorum for guests of the Congolese Head of State, as well as for the government's meetings and international summits held in Kinshasa.

History

The establishment of the complex can be traced back to December of 1966 when President Mobutu extended an invitation to the Heads of State and governments across Africa, inviting them to the 1967 Assembly in Kinshasa, a convocation designed to showcase their support for the Congo and fortify his position domestically and internationally. On 9 February, Boubacar Diallo Telli, the Guinean Secretary-General of the OAU, officially announced that Kinshasa had been chosen as the venue for the year's Assembly after thirty of the OAU member states had accepted the Congolese invitation, well over the two-thirds majority of the total membership of thirty-eight required as a quorum. The OAU City complex was constructed to accommodate participating Heads of State. Lumumba Boulevard, the city's arterial thoroughfare, was electrified to N'Djili International Airport. On September 14, 1967, despite Ivorian President Félix Houphouët-Boigny's boycott, 36 countries and 15 heads of state attended. The summit occurred amidst the eastern Congo political crisis and the Nigerian Civil War, sparking rumors about relocating the OAU permanent establishment to Kinshasa, which Boubacar Diallo Telli later scotched.

In 2009, the OAU City complex was rehabilitated by the China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) under President Joseph Kabila's administration, in anticipation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit, which was held in Kinshasa the following September. The summit was attended by several African leaders, including Seretse Khama Ian Khama, Pakalitha Mosisili, Hifikepunye Pohamba, Jacob Zuma, Mswati III, Rupiah B. Banda, Robert Mugabe, Antonio Paulo Kassoma, Eta Banda, Bernard Membe, Arvin Boolell, Patrick Pillay, Ketumile Masire, and Joaquim Alberto Chissano.

In 2010, the OAU City complex experienced another phase of rehabilitation during the celebrations commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Congolese Independence Day. This period saw the erection of over forty villas, a hospital clinic, and several administrative edifices, all of which are stringently secured by the Republican Guard.

Félix Tshisekedi was inaugurated as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on January 25, 2019, and he has taken up residence at the Cité de l'Union Africaine.

References

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Buildings and structures in Kinshasa