The 34th Session of the African Union Summit ended on 7 February 2021 with the new Chair, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), outlining an ambitious agenda for the year.
Addressing a virtual gathering of fellow heads of state and government at the two-day summit, President Tshisekedi said his priorities would be tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and fostering peace and security on the continent.
Combating climate change, expediting regional integration, investing in human capital, promoting Africa鈥檚 culture and empowering women and youth will also get his attention.
The theme for this year鈥檚 summit and the rest of 2021 is Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want.
President Tshisekedi stressed that 鈥淎rts, culture and heritage constitute the basis for African renaissance鈥� and afford an opportunity to 鈥渓ook back at our roots.鈥�
- Silencing the Guns in Africa.
- Implementation AfCFTA and the African Commodities Strategy.
- Construction of Grand Inga hydropower project.
- Fight against COVID-19.
- Development of Africa鈥檚 human capital.
- Promotion of Africa鈥檚 cultural heritage.
- Promotion of zero tolerance for gender-based violence, gender parity in the AU and in member states.
- Lay the groundwork for the African Humanitarian Agency, advocate on behalf of migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons.
- Fight climate change.
He added: 鈥淐ulture is the beginning and the end of everything; it covers every aspect of human life.鈥�
President Tshisekedi took over from President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa as AU Chair.
Before handing over the reins of the rotating chairmanship of the AU, President Ramaphosa remarked that Africa, like the rest of the world, was confronting a pandemic that is exacerbating inequalities and threatening the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 听
Africa's recovery requires debt relief, new funding and debt deferment, Mr. Ramaphosa said, and called for 鈥渁n injection of fresh resources by the IMF through reallocating and issuing new special drawing rights, with a bias towards the developing world.鈥�
The South African leader said that was necessary to 鈥渃orrect glaring inequalities in fiscal stimulus measures between advanced economies and the rest of the world.鈥�
He highlighted several mechanisms that can help Africa succeed in its development aspirations, among which are the AfCFTA, which will help drive trade, investment and job creation, and enable a stronger and faster recovery.
- Finalize the institutional reform and strengthen the leadership of the Commission.
- Enhance administrative and financial accountability.
- 鈥楽ilencing the Guns鈥� at continental level.
- Execute key integration projects.
- Foster food self-sufficiency, reduce poverty by building resilience through agriculture and the blue economy, protect the environment.
- Operationalize policies in favour of Youth and Women.
- Stimulate African thought on the obvious determining factors of crises.
- Renew strategic partnerships.
Another mechanism is the 鈥淪ilencing the Guns鈥� campaign, which has been extended to 2030, and now consists of a roadmap and practical steps to achieve its objectives. There will be a two-year periodic review of implementation.
The AU-declared Decade of Women鈥檚 Financial and Economic Inclusion (2020-2030) is expected to support women鈥檚 access to financial services, he said.
As well, the Africa Medical Supplies Platform will assist countries to access affordable medical supplies.
鈥淲e are committed to developing African solutions to African problems,鈥� Mr. Ramaphosa added.
Insecurity decried
On his part, Mr. Tshisekedi bemoaned insecurity in some parts of Africa. He listed The Sahel region, Central African Republic (CAR), eastern DRC, and northern Mozambique as some of the places currently affected by varying levels of insecurity.
The Summit also witnessed the re-election for a second term of the AU Commission (AUC) Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat. "I am deeply humbled by the overwhelming and historic vote of confidence," Mr. Mahamat tweeted after his victory.
A highlight of the Summit was the election of Monique Nsanzabaganwa as the AUC鈥檚 first-ever female deputy head. 听Before her elections she was the deputy governor of the National Bank of Rwanda.
The new US President Joe Biden delivered a special video message to African leaders, his first to an international gathering since assuming office.
President Biden said: 鈥淭he United States stands ready now to be your partner, in solidarity, support and mutual respect.鈥�
In his response, the AUC Chairperson Mr. Faki said he was looking forward to 鈥渞esetting the strategic AU-USA partnership,鈥� signaling renewed multilateralism in addressing global challenges after an apparent frosty relationship with the previous US administration.
On his first day as president, Mr. Biden lifted the ban imposed by the Trump administration on travelers from many African countries, including Eritrea, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan and Tanzania.
UN Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres congratulated Mr. Faki on his re-election, saying that, 鈥淵ou can count on my support to continue building on the successful partnership between the AU and the UN, rooted in shared values and mutual respect.鈥�
Before the Summit, Mr. Faki took stock of the significant achievements of his first term, including the establishment of the AfCFTA in March 2018 and the launch that year of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) or 鈥淎frica鈥檚 Open Skies,鈥� which liberalizes Africa鈥檚 airspace.
He said progress had also been made in efforts at resolving the conflicts in Somalia, South Sudan, the CAR and the Sudan.
In his next term, Mr. Faki intends to focus on 鈥淪ilencing the Guns鈥� in conflict countries, promoting the AfCFTA, empowering women and youth, strengthening ties with strategic partners, among others.
鈥淎frica and Asia, Africa and Europe, Africa and America鈥攈ow can we not be proud that our continent is today at the centre of these immense geostrategic entities?鈥� he posed.
