Flag of the African Union

How to read it

At its summit in Addis Ababa in January 2007, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government decided to hold a competition for a new flag (Decision 151 (VIII)), with two conditions: a green background for Africa’s hope, and stars for the member states. The Commission received 105 entries, and a panel of experts judged them in June 2008. On 3 July 2009, in Sirte, the Assembly adopted proposal No. 3B by Yadessa Zewge Bojia of Ethiopia (Decision 267 (XIII)), gave him a prize of US$10,000, asked for the flag to be reproduced with all of Africa’s islands shown, and set its official launch for the summit of January or February 2010. At that summit the outgoing chairman of the African Union, Muammar Gaddafi, hoisted it for the first time. The African Union says the flag has ceremonial status and is used at official functions and by high-ranking officials.

Also searched as: africa flag, african union flag, au flag, flag of africa.

How many stars are on the African Union flag?

Fifty-five, one for each member state, the African Union says. The number has changed since the design was chosen: the panel of experts that judged the entries in 2008 looked for stars representing the 53 member states of the time.

The designer’s intentions

Bojia, an Ethiopian-born graphic designer who came to the United States in 1995 and worked for the University of Washington’s Housing and Food Services, told UW News that he wanted the design to be “forward-looking” and to stand for “a new day for Africa” and “unity, hope and prosperity”. He counted 116 entries in the competition, where the Commission’s report counts 105.