Mauritania to hand over baton to Angola in AU summit opener

ADDIS ABABA: THE 38th Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union has begun in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The summit began with the African Union anthem and opening speeches from various leaders.

The opening speeches’ leaders include the outgoing Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Dr  Abiy Ahmed, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.

Additionally, the Chairperson of the Arab League, the State of Palestine, the Chairperson of the African Union, and the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, will also deliver speeches. After that, the 2025 African Union Parliament Office and the 2025 African Union Chairperson will be announced.

There will be a handover speech from Ghazouani and an acceptance speech from the new AU Chairperson and President of Angola, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço.

The meeting will continue with a private session where the new leaders of countries and governments will give their greetings.

These leaders include Joseph Nyumah Boakai (Liberia), Bassirou Diomaye Faye (Senegal), Duma Gideon Boko (Botswana), Navinchandra Ramgoolam (Mauritius), John Mahama (Ghana), Daniel Francisco Chapo (Mozambique), and Mahamat Déby (Chad). The summit will then adopt the draft agenda for the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly and discuss the issues contained within it.

Raila Odinga of Kenya is seeking to succeed Moussa Faki as the Chairperson of the African Union Commission in an election that will take place during the summit.

Raila will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Djibouti, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar, Richard Randriamandrato, in this election.

The Chairperson is elected by member states, except for countries under military rule.

A candidate must receive at least 2 percent of the votes cast. The Chairperson of the African Union Commission is elected for a four-year term and may be reappointed for one more term. This position rotates between the five regions, and this time, the Eastern region is required to present a candidate, while the Northern region should present the Vice-Chairperson.