African Day formerly known as African Freedom day or liberation day is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the African Union Which replaced the Organization of African Unity.

The Africa Union is originally established to promote unity and solidarity among African states. The AU has 54 member states which comprise all African countries except Morocco which withdrew from the union in 1985 after the admission of Western Sahara.

Drawing Inspiration from Ghana, being the first African Country to gain independence on March 6, 1957, under the governance of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, other African countries saw the need to agitate for freedom. As a result of this, a number of African countries gained independence from colonial powers, with Ghana playing a significant part in this.

54 African countries saw the reason to uphold and continue the celebration of the liberation movements and to symbolize the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.

This would later become AFRICA DAY; an annual celebration recognized in various countries on the African continent and around the world. Since the consensus that was made at the first conference on May 25, 1963.

Africa Day is celebrated every May 25 while some countries prefer longer celebrations which extend to days and weeks depending on the programme and events at hand.

Themes are set for each year’s Africa Day. The theme for 2022 focuses on the importance of addressing malnutrition and food insecurity across Africa. Malnutrition and food insecurity are among other pressing issues that pervade African countries, hence the need for it to be addressed and reflected upon in this year’s Africa Day celebration.

Africa Day is recognized as a public holiday in some African countries like Ghana, Chad, Mali, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho. Other African countries and countries around the world commemorate the day with academic and cultural gatherings to enact the relevance of Africa Day.