Maina wa Njuguna
The two term limited African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat days at the helm of the organization are winding down fast.
The top leadership posts are up for grabs too. They include the Chairperson, the Deputy Chairperson, and 6 Commissioner positions.
The four finalists for the AU Commission Chairperson starting with the two top contenders are, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti 🇩🇯, Raila Odinga of Kenya 🇰🇪, Anil Gayan of Mauritius 🇲🇺, and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar 🇲🇬.
The 55 countries members are slated to hold elections in February, 2025 to choose Mahamat’s successor. The election process will be based on the principle of inter-regional rotation which this time will see a representative from the East Africa region assume the top job.
Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf was fronted ealier in the year by the country. A press statement in part read “Djibouti expresses its confidence in the ability of Mr. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, an experienced diplomat who knows the workings of the Continental Organization, to serve and bring dynamism to the Pan-African Organization”.
An experienced diplomat, Mr. Mahamoud fluently speaks multiple languages including French, English, and Arabic.
Raila Odinga, Kenya’s opposition leader, former Prime Minister has been garnering support from friends such as former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo. Angola’s ambassador to Kenya Mr. Sianga Samuel Abilio signaled support for Mr. Odinga. Kenya’s President William Ruto secured pledges of support for Kenya’s bid from Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Image: /Courtesy/
Hon. Odinga was AU representative for infrastructure and development for 5 years. The government of Kenya has put in place an all inclusive team to spearhead his campaign.
H.E. Mr. Musalia Mudavadi, the Prime Cabinet Secretary said “The State Department for Foreign Affairs has therefore established a campaign Secretariat which includes the candidate’s strategy team” to ensure his success.
Mr. Anil Gayan is a former cabinet minister for Foreign Affairs and has held numerous leadership positions in the small island of Mauritius.
Richard Randriamandrato is a former Madagascar Minister of Foreign Affairs who was dismissed in September, 2022 for voting in favor of the resolution at the UN General Assembly that condemned Russia’s “illegal” annexation of four regions of eastern Ukraine.
The Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission are elected by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government while the next tier leadership of Commissioners are elected by the Ministerial Executive Council who in turn are appointed by the Assembly. The elections will then be held via secret ballot.
IS THE AFRICAN UNION RELEVANT?
Can the African Union (AU) galvanize the continent to solve her immense challenges without solid political integration? Why can’t African Union become like the European Union, a superanational political and economic entity?
Who can forget the shame as most 55 heads of states or their representatives huddled in buses in the streets of Western capitals in Rome, Seoul, Washington DC, after being summoned?
What about the accomodation and travel costs? Are the hurriedly signed deals in the very best interests of Africans?
Why can’t we start to build on the current economic communities and make them political entities under the umbrella of the African Union?
From there, the countries that fall in each region become subservient to the regional political leadership which should have real executive, legislative and judicial powers.
Africa’s salvation lies in integration and unity of the fractured entities. Regional governments would foster unification of a partitioned continent, spur regional economic activities and be more agile to respond effectively to regional challenges.
The regional economic communities include – Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), The East African Community (EAC), The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Mr. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf is quoted to have said, “My primary objective if I am elected is to silence the guns” on the continent. It sound like a cliché, right? I would imagine the same statement coming from each of the other three aspirants. Or, does it suggest Moussa Faki Mahamat fell asleep on the wheel? What enforcement apparatuses does AU have to silence the guns if member countries don’t tow the line?
The continent is dotted and ripe with carnage, death and destruction across the the board as statements from a toothless African Union (AU) continue to be churned out crises after crises.
So, what has been going on the continent under the nose of the organization? There are more than 35 armed conflicts in Africa today. The countries below are the scenes of the never ending conflicts.
Burkina Faso 🇧🇫, Cameroon 🇨🇲, Central African Republic (CAR) 🇨🇫, Chad 🇹🇩, DR Congo 🇨🇩, Ethiopia 🇪🇹, Libya 🇱🇾, Mali 🇲🇱, Mozambique 🇲🇿, Nigeria 🇳🇬, Niger 🇳🇪, Senegal 🇸🇳, Somalia 🇸🇴, South Sudan 🇸🇸.
According to Africa Center of Strategic Studies, decades long of conflicts including wars, insurgencies, and droughts on the continent have displaced over 40 million people.
SUDAN CRISIS
The civil war between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a reincarnated Janjaweed militia of Arabs continues to strike with impunity.
The Janjaweed militia was responsible for ethic cleansing and genocide in the Dafur conflict twenty years ago that killed up to 400,000 peope of African tribes in the region with a campaign of murder, rape and destruction.
Today, over 12 million Sudanese have been displaced with at least 10 million internally displaced (IDPs) since 2023 making it the largest crisis in the world. About 12,000 to 15,000 have been killed as the war continues to totally destroy the capital Khartoum and the Dafur region.
ON A POSITIVE NOTE
Africa’s potential for greatness cannot be denied. Immense opportunities in the expansion of intra-African trade via The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are very promising. Infrastructure development, a humongous pool of young, educated and skilled labor force potends well for the continent whereas Western countries grapple with an aging and shrinking labor force.
Major industries such as agriculture, energy (oil and gas), finance, mining, and telecommunications are ripe with potential. Investments in these industries will unlock tremendous economic activities that will lift millions out of poverty and improve living conditions in the continent.
Creative industries such as music, performing arts film and media are already vibrant and thriving. Music genre such as Afrobeats, Bongo Flava, Benga, Rumba and Soukous are topping world charts and establishing the continent as an exporter of culture.
Artisans and crafts which includes automobile assemblies and repair, carpentry, metal work and welding, tailoring, and plumbing are set to explode as African economies expand making people have more disposable incomes.
The African Union organization as currently constituted is incapable to adequately serve the needs of a growing and dynamic continent.
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