SEMAU History

The History of SEMAU

The Southeast Model African Union (SEMAU) was included as an agenda item at one of the University System of Georgia Council on International Education’s (SCIE) Regents Advisory Council on Africa (RACA) meetings in the mid-1990s. The main idea was to bring Africa as close to the students as possible by simulating the activities of the African Union, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The SEMAU simulation will be the closest most of our students will come to studying abroad in Africa. Students will role-play as ambassadors of African countries, and they will be charged with debating African issues and exploring solutions to those issues.

RACA is the forerunner of the University System Africa Council (USAC). The first SEMAU simulation was held in November 1997 in Macon with Professor Mary Mears, Macon State College, as the first SEMAU Director, under the guidance of Professors Saba Jallow and Alfred Young, of Georgia Southern University, who had served as faculty advisors at the National Model African Union simulation, created and hosted by Professor Michael Nwanze at Howard University, Washington, D.C. Macon was selected as the first venue for SEMAU because of its central location and the fact that all SCIE meetings were held in Macon. RACA earlier reached a consensus to have the simulation held in Macon for at least five years to have a sense of history and establish a tradition. Once that objective was achieved and SEMAU received name recognition and significance, USAC, under the able leadership of Professor Lovett Elango of Kennesaw State University, decided that other schools should be given the opportunity to submit bids to host SEMAU. Thus, many universities were able to host SEMAU by providing conference venues and subsidizing the costs of the simulation. Overall, this experiential model of learning has benefited hundreds of students since the inception of SEMAU in 1997.

The University System of Georgia professors who have served as SEMAU Directors include Professors Mary Mears (Macon State College), Saba Jallow (Georgia Southern University), Mundia J. Kahiga (Georgia Perimeter College), Florence Wakoko and John Studstill (Columbus State University) , Eustace Palmer and Funke Fontenot (Georgia College and State University), Chester Fontenot (Mercer University), Nuru Akinyemi (Kennesaw State University), Akinloye Ojo (University of Georgia), Angela R. Bratton and Augustine Hammond (Augusta State University), Emmanuel Naniuzeyi (Savannah State University), Augustine Ayuk (Clayton State University), Co-directors Nneka Nora Osakwe and Annalease Gibson (Albany State University). Some of the SEMAU Directors served as hosts twice. In 2023, Nurudeen Akinyemi and Ikechukwu Ukeje of Kennesaw State University served as the SEMAU Directors. The 2023, 26th Annual SEMAU graciously welcomes two universities outside of the state of Georgia, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York, and Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey. This year we are fortunate to have Robert Dibie and Sianjina of Fort Valley State University as the 2024 SEMAU Directors.