Africa-Press – Angola. Angolan Head of State and pro tempore president of the African Union (AU), João Lourenço, is participating on Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in the High-Level Dialogue on Finance and Health related to Health Security and Sovereignty in Africa.
The event, organized by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the African Development Bank (ADB), marks the first official agenda of the Angolan statesman on the sidelines of the 39th African Union (AU) Summit of Heads of State and Government, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, during which he will conclude his term as president of the continental organization.
Also for Friday, President João Lourenço, who has been in Addis Ababa since Thursday, is scheduled to participate in the 2nd Italy-Africa Summit, as part of the parallel events to the summit, he will also attend the state dinner hosted by the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed Ali, at the International Convention Center in Addis Ababa.
For Saturday, the Summit will begin and during which the presidency of the continental organization will be handed over to Burundi.
After the announcement of the African Union Conference Bureau for the year 2026 and the new Chairperson of the continental organization, the acceptance speech, and the family photo, the session will continue behind closed doors.
Regarding peace and security, the Conference includes reviews on the report of the African Union Peace and Security Council on the activities carried out and the state of peace and security in Africa, covering the period from January to December 2025.
The document will be presented by the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, with an intervention by the Commissioner of the African Union Commission (AUC) for Political, Peace, and Security Affairs, Bankole Adeoye.
The work also includes the analysis of the draft memorandum of understanding between the AU, the Regional Economic Communities, and the Regional Mechanisms on the use of the African Standby Force, as well as the report on the organization’s institutional reforms, to be presented by the Kenyan President, William Ruto.
In the context of the African Union’s participation in the G20, the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, will provide information on the results of the Summit held in November 2025 in Johannesburg.
However, in his capacity as Chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf will present the report on the organization’s participation in the forum.
During the event, the African leaders will also review the annual report of the President of the Commission, including the Champions’ reports, and the reports of the Conference committees, among which the Committee of Heads of State and Government on the Africa CDC, to be presented by the outgoing chair, João Lourenço.
The agenda also includes the review of the reports from the Forum of the African Peer Review Mechanism, the AUDA-NEPAD Steering Committee, the Committee of Ten on the Reform of the United Nations Security Council, and the Committee on Climate Change.
The summit is held under the motto “Ensuring sustainable availability of water and safe sanitation systems to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063”, a matter that should dominate the next term.
The African Union was founded in 2002, succeeding the Organization of African Unity (OAU). It has the mission to promote integration, peace, security, democracy, and economic development among its 55 member states.
Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the AU drives the Agenda 2063 to transform the continent, highlighting the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
