Tag: au

Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat has been chosen as the new chairperson of the African Union Commission. Mahamat replaces South Africa’s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. CD...

Migration and the Ebola crisis in Africa are some of the concerns brought up for discussion at this year's African Union Summit. More than 50 heads of states gathered in South Africa to find resolutions to these issues.

In 1963 the Organisation of African Unity rose from the ashes of colonial rule. Since then, as the African Union, it has expanded and embraced its ever-growing role.

According to a recent African Union high-level panel, Africa loses $50-billion annually to fraud and corruption. This has impeded development projects and denied the poorest access to crucial services.

The empowerment of women and an end to child marriage is the overriding theme of the African Union summit, where South Africa is also placing emphasis on championing infrastructure development on the continent. Both are key targets in Africa's Agenda 2063.

Infrastructure matters. If Africa wants to play on the global field, a network of well-constructed, well-maintained roads is crucial. Until recently, work on the Trans-African Highway Network was sporadic, hit by conflict and constrained budgets. But now, nations see the value of the system for growth.

The African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises, a temporary standby force capable of responding quickly to crisis situations in Africa, is expected to be operational by October, South African President Jacob Zuma said at the conclusion of his working visit to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on Thursday.

South African President Jacob Zuma, speaking out against the abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls by militant Islamist group Boko-Haram on Sunday, expressed concern over the activities of armed rebels on the continent and called on the African Union to take steps to bring about stability.

An African Union Human Rights Memorial is mooted for the AU's headquarters, on the site of the notorious Alem Bekagn prison in Addis Ababa. It will serve as a symbol of the collective commitment of African citizens and states to renounce complicity or indifference in the face of threats to fundamental human rights anywhere in Africa, according to delegates at a dialogue in Joburg.

The 22nd African Union summit got under way in Addis Ababa on Thursday with a call by the continent's leaders for peace to prevail on the continent, with outgoing AU chairperson Hailemariam Desalegn saying that emerging conflicts could not be allowed to undermine Africa's recent gains.