Africa-Press – Ethiopia. Africa needs to prepare itself for newly emerging situations and count on own resources for addressing the existing economic, peace and security challenges in the continent, African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said.
The African Union’s Executive Council is holding its 24th Extraordinary Session in Addis Ababa to elect and appoint one member of the Peace and Security Council, one member of the African Union Commission on International Law (AUCIL), and one member of the African Space Council (AfSC).
In his opening remark, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said that Africa is facing different economic and political challenges due to internal and external factors such as imposition of new tariffs on African exports, which would weaken economies of members of the Union.
Therefore, Africa must adapt itself with global encounters and be prepared for the new situation by counting on domestic resources, he noted, stressing that governments and the private sector need to fill financing gaps for addressing challenges.
According to the chairperson, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and its various mechanisms must work hard and transform the challenges into opportunities.
“We should open African market to exports of member states and further broaden the initiative of guided trade. (Also), in areas of peace and security, we still have challenges. In order to permit proper conduct of peace support operations, we should count on our resources.”
AU Executive Council Chairperson, Tete Antonio, on his part emphasized the importance of having sustainable peace and stability towards achieving progress and development of the continent.
In this regard, AU has important resources that will be able to face up the issues of peace and security, he stated, stressing for solutions adapted to African multiple realities.
The chair urged member states to count on a stronger and functional African Union as the existing geopolitical situation requires for united regional blocs to exert influence in the international arena.
On her part, Ethiopia’s Permanent Representative at the African Union and UNECA, reiterated that AU needs to be proactive in navigating extraordinary global situations like adverse impacts of climate change, geopolitical tensions, conflicts, debt burden, humanitarian crisis and uncertainties in global trade with wisdom and foresighted leadership.
The “AU must be agile and fit for purpose to achieve the vision of Agenda 2063, creating a full, integrated, peaceful and prosperous continent through the implementation of silencing the guns and other flagship projects, appreciating the encouraging steps in establishing predictable merit based election of senior leadership of the commission and its various organs.”
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