Described by some as the EU of Africa, the African Union is a 55 member union that works together to develop a "A United and Strong Africa". In this video we explain the union, how took inspiration from the European Union and what it's planning for the future.

The launch of the operational phase of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is expected later this week, while the 15 ECOWAS countries, adopted ‘ECO’ as the name of the region’s planned shared currency, and agreed for a flexible currency regime towards improving integration and trade in the region.

The five countries in East African Community are pushing to eliminate their borders to enhance an integrated trading block. However, many challenges have to be overcome before making this a reality as CNBC Africa's Beatrice Gachenge discovered.