The African Union (and formerly Organisation of African Unity) Chairman is chosen by the Assembly, which consists of the heads of state of member countries, to serve a 1-year term.
| Organization of African Unity | |||
| Name | Beginning of Term | End of Term | Country |
| Haile Selassie | 25 May 1963 | 17 July 1964 |  Ethiopia
|
| Gamal Abdel Nasser | 17 July 1964 | 21 October 1965 |  Egypt
|
| Kwame Nkrumah | 21 October 1965 | 24 February 1966 |  Ghana
|
| Joseph Arthur Ankrah | 24 February 1966 | 5 November 1966 | Ghana
|
| Haile Selassie | 5 November 1966 | 11 September 1967 | Ethiopia
|
| Joseph-Désiré Mobutu | 11 September 1967 | 13 September 1968 |  Congo-Kinshasa
|
| Houari Boumedienne | 13 September 1968 | 6 September 1969 |  Algeria
|
| Ahmadou Ahidjo | 6 September 1969 | 1 September 1970 |  Cameroon
|
| Kenneth Kaunda | 1 September 1970 | 21 June 1971 |  Zambia
|
| Moktar Ould Daddah | 21 June 1971 | 12 June 1972 |  Mauritania
|
| Hassan II | 12 June 1972 | 27 May 1973 |  Morocco
|
| Yakubu Gowon | 27 May 1973 | 12 June 1974 |  Nigeria
|
| Muhammad Siad Barre | 12 June 1974 | 28 July 1975 |  Somalia
|
| Idi Amin | 28 July 1975 | 2 July 1976 |  Uganda
|
| Seewoosagur Ramgoolam | 2 July 1976 | 2 July 1977 |  Mauritius
|
| Omar Bongo | 2 July 1977 | 18 July 1978 |  Gabon
|
| Gaafar Nimeiry | 18 July 1978 | 12 July 1979 |  Sudan
|
| William R. Tolbert, Jr. | 12 July 1979 | 12 April 1980 |  Liberia
|
| Léopold Sédar Senghor (acting) | 28 April 1980 | 1 July 1980 |  Senegal
|
| Siaka Stevens | 1 July 1980 | 24 June 1981 |  Sierra Leone
|
| Daniel arap Moi | 24 June 1981 | 6 June 1983 |  Kenya
|
| Mengistu Haile Mariam | 6 June 1983 | 12 November 1984 |  Ethiopia
|
| Julius Nyerere | 12 November 1984 | 18 July 1985 |  Tanzania
|
| Abdou Diouf | 18 July 1985 | 28 July 1986 | Senegal
|
| Denis Sassou-Nguesso | 28 July 1986 | 27 July 1987 |  Congo-Brazzaville
|
| Kenneth Kaunda | 27 July 1987 | 25 May 1988 | Zambia
|
| Moussa Traoré | 25 May 1988 | 24 July 1989 |  Mali
|
| Hosni Mubarak | 24 July 1989 | 9 July 1990 | Egypt
|
| Yoweri Museveni | 9 July 1990 | 3 June 1991 | Uganda
|
| Ibrahim Babangida | 3 June 1991 | 29 June 1992 | Nigeria
|
| Abdou Diouf | 29 June 1992 | 28 June 1993 | Senegal
|
| Hosni Mubarak | 28 June 1993 | 13 June 1994 | Egypt
|
| Zine El Abidine Ben Ali | 13 June 1994 | 26 June 1995 |  Tunisia
|
| Meles Zenawi | 26 June 1995 | 8 July 1996 |  Ethiopia
|
| Paul Biya | 8 July 1996 | 2 June 1997 |  Cameroon
|
| Robert Mugabe | 2 June 1997 | 8 June 1998 |  Zimbabwe
|
| Blaise Compaoré | 8 June 1998 | 12 July 1999 |  Burkina Faso
|
| Abdelaziz Bouteflika | 12 July 1999 | 10 July 2000 | Algeria
|
| Gnassingbé Eyadéma | 10 July 2000 | 9 July 2001 |  Togo
|
| Frederick Chiluba | 9 July 2001 | 2 January 2002 |  Zambia
|
| Levy Mwanawasa | 2 January 2002 | 9 July 2002 | Zambia
|
| African Union | |||
| Name | Beginning of Term | End of Term | Country |
| Thabo Mbeki | 9 July 2002 | 10 July 2003 |  South Africa
|
| Joaquim Chissano | 10 July 2003 | 6 July 2004 |  Mozambique
|
| Olusegun Obasanjo | 6 July 2004 | 24 January 2006 | Nigeria
|
| Denis Sassou-Nguesso | 24 January 2006 | 24 January 2007 | Republic of the Congo
|
| John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor | 30 January 2007 | 31 January 2008 | Ghana
|
| Jakaya Kikwete | 31 January 2008 | 2 February 2009 | Tanzania
|
| Muammar al-Gaddafi | 2 February 2009 | 31 January 2010 |  Libya
|
| Bingu wa Mutharika[1] | 31 January 2010 | 31 January 2011 |  Malawi
|
| Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo | 31 January 2011 | present |  Equatorial Guinea
|