African Union Summit opens in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Angola's Joao Manuel Lourenco assumed the rotating Chair of the African Union (AU) on Saturday, at the start of the 38th ordinary session of the Summit, scheduled to elect the next leader of the Commission.
The Angolan leader took the baton from President Mohamad Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani of Mauritania, who led the continental organisation for the past year, when the continent witnessed major political changes and democracy at work.
A record of six new continental leaders were scheduled to take the floor of the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa before the vote for the Chairperson of the AU Commission.
Three candidates are lined up for the elections: former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Djibouti’s foreign minister Mohmoud Ali Youssouf and Madagascar’s former finance and Foreign Affairs Minister Richard Randriamandrato.
The race for the Championship of the AUC has drawn massive interest across the continent because of the calibre of the candidates.
Youssouf has been Foreign Minister since 2005 and is noted for his fluency in various languages, including French and English, and was noted for his performance in combating piracy off the Indian Ocean coast.
Randriamandrato, who served as foreign minister from 2019-2022, was fired after a UN General Assembly vote against Russia.
He is a notable researcher and worked at the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) for 10 years.
Odinga has a strong political background in politics and is a noteworthy Pan African.
He steered Kenya’s efforts towards political reform and pro-democracy movement, leading a new constitution for the East African nation in 2010.
The former premier has a notable history in championing infrastructure as the backbone to economic growth and development in Africa.
In his current campaign, he has sought the implementation of mega-infrastructure projects, including the Grand Inga Dam in Congo and a tunnel to connect Africa from East to West.
Later, the AU Summit is expected to be addressed by incoming heads of state and government who have recently won elections.
They include Liberia’s Joseph Boakai, Senegal's Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Botswana’s Duma Boko, Mauricien Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Ghana’s John Mahama, Chad's Mohamat Deby and Franciso Chapo of Mozambique.
During the opening ceremony, the outgoing Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission Moussa Faki decried “rapid geopolitical upheavals” across the world, which had profound economic and social and political impact across Africa.
He said these global trends led to the collapse of pan Africanism and accelerated economic collapse across the continent.
Faki criticised the growing foreign appetite for Africa in the middle of the global geopolitical crises, which has contributed to the deterioration of the food security systems in Africa.
-0- PANA AO/MA 15Feb2025
