The celebrated retired diplomat, Mr. K.B. Asante, has described the African Union (AU) Day celebration as another talkshop for African leaders. He said no concrete policies have been put in place to ensure the realization of the ideals of the founding fathers, forty-six years after the organisation was formed. “It (AU) has not done anything concrete. It’s a matter of talk. The institutions are not functioning well. There is no driving force behind the union,” the retired diplomat told Joy News in an interview on Monday, on the celebration of the AU Day being observed across the continent. Mr. Asante was part of the inaugural 1963 meeting which formed the Organisation of African Unity which then metamorphosed into the African Union. He said member states have only made verbal commitments to the AU and have subscribed to many resolutions but nothing has been done to improve the logistical framework, adding they don’t even pay their contributions. Mr. Asante lamented the continued reliance on colonial masters by some African countries, saying that is a major setback for the AU. At a flag-raising ceremony to mark the day in Ghana, Foreign Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni called for closer collaboration between African states. That, he said, is the only panacea to the lingering challenges the Union was going through. “We must see ourselves as sailing on the same boat and it is only by our collective efforts that we can expect to complete our journey in success,” he said. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the AU Commission, Jean Ping, said the AU is well on its way to achieving its ideals despite the many challenges. In an interview with the BBC, he cited the violence in Somalia and Sudan as some of the problems the AU was worried about, but he was hopeful the AU will pull through. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline