10 things to look out for at the African Union summit
The 38th African Union summit in Addis Ababa started with the election of commissioners, amid some confusion over the new rules adopted as part of AU institutional reform. The eastern DRC conflict and civil war in Sudan are high on the agenda, as well as the G20 summit and climate change.
Heads of the 55 member states from across the continent are assembled in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa for the 38th African Union summit. Here we list the 10 expected highlights.
1. Election of a new AU Commission chair
“I end my mandate and I won’t stay a day longer,” said outgoing African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat in his speech at the opening of the executive council, the gathering of foreign ministers ahead of the heads of state summit.
He was both expressing a commitment to abide by the rules – unlike some heads of state who amend the constitution to stay in power for longer – and ending rumours that he was lobbying to stay on for a few more months.
Pitted against each other are three candidates: Kenya’s former prime minister, Raila Odinga; Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf; and Madagascar’s former finance minister, Richard Randriamandrato. Kenya and Djibouti are seen as frontrunners.
Think tank Amani Africa in a report in January said representatives of AU member states and African affairs watchers have expressed some misgivings about the calibre of the candidates.
2. Election of AU commissioners
The executive council elected new commissioners during their meeting on 12 February, and these choices will be confirmed by the heads of state over the weekend.
These elections were the first undertaken under new rules adopted as part of AU institutional reforms and were a test, with some areas still needing clarification. For example, there was no election for the Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Mining Commission because none of the shortlisted candidates scored 70% or more when vetted.
There was some uncertainty over whether this means that the current commissioner, Alfred Muchanga, will continue in the post until the election could be held, or whether there would be an acting commissioner. Nobody was elected to head the Education, Science, Technology and Innovation as the only qualifying candidate, Molapo Qhobela, did not meet the new gender requirements and was dropped from the ballot.
Those who were elected are:
Eswatini’s Moses Vilakati, Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment
South Africa’s Lerato Mataboge, Energy and Infrastructure
Ghana’s Amma Twum-Amoah, Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development
Nigeria’s Bankole Adeoye was reelected as commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security
3. Peace and security apparatus
A total of five countries with a three-year seat on the Peace and Security Council (PSC) – one from each region – had to be replaced by vote at this summit. In Southern Africa, Namibia was replaced by Eswatini after South Africa stepped back as it finished a two-year term last year.
In East Africa, Rwanda and Somalia were defeated, leaving Ethiopia to replace Djibouti. In North Africa, Morocco wanted a second three-year term but dropped out in the second round against Algeria, who was one vote short in the final round, meaning this seat will have to be filled at a future summit. In West Africa, Nigeria remained for another three-year term as did Cameroon in Central Africa.
4. Silencing the guns
Delegates haven’t only been lobbying each other for support for commission positions, but there have already been a number of informal meetings on the conflicts that will dominate this summit. These are, among others, the escalation of conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the civil war in Sudan, which presents a bigger humanitarian crisis in numbers but which is likely to enjoy somewhat less attention than the DRC.
Murithi Mutiga, Africa Programme Director of the International Crisis Group (ICG), said the AU needed to step in. “With conflicts proliferating and traditional peacekeeping mechanisms faltering, there is both need and opportunity for the AU to up its game,” he said.
“AU leaders and member states must take greater responsibility for conflict prevention on the continent. If they don’t, it is quite possible no one else will.”
5. Undoing the coups
AU leaders have in recent years expressed concern about the growing number of unconstitutional changes of government, which warrants an immediate suspension of membership for the state involved. In the Sahel, there had been six coups in the past three years.
ICG in their briefing note said the AU “should still explore openings to smooth neighbourhood relations” even as Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have formed their own regional grouping after breaking away from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
6. Multipolarity and international institutions
The new administration in the US under President Donald Trump has, within weeks of being installed, started dismantling the country’s membership of multilateral institutions and putting up trade barriers.
African leaders, who have embarked on implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which came into force in 2019, will have to grapple with how they choose to position the continent within this context.
The US has also already started dismantling USAID, its foreign aid arm from which countries in Africa also benefitted. The ICG’s Liesl Louw-Vaudran, senior adviser for the AU, said the organisation was conducting its work in a time of dire need, and the new AU Commission chair could bring fresh energy to the organisation’s work.
“While it may not be fair to expect the AU leadership to work miracles, the organisation must use its every advantage, especially when there is every reason to expect growing US disinterest and European distraction.”
7. Preparing for an African G20
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to host a breakfast ahead of the start of the heads of state summit on Saturday morning concerning South Africa’s presidency of the G20 this year. Ramaphosa has expressed his intention of making this an African summit. While the AU has recently become a member of the G20, South Africa is the only country on the continent with individual membership.
8. Making it right
The theme of this year’s summit is “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”. In a concept note the AU says reparations encompass “a range of initiatives aimed at addressing historical injustices stemming from colonisation, slavery and systemic discrimination”. It included historical acknowledgement, financial reparations, land restitution, cultural preservation, policy reforms and international accountability.
9. Climate change
The summit will consider a draft report on climate change, four years after the PSC called on the organisation to adopt a common position on this as well as peace and security.
“The AU common position highlights Africa’s need for climate finance while calling on wealthier nations, many of which are significant polluters, to make affordable financing available,” according to the ICG’s briefing document. It is expected that the PSC will adopt the paper ahead of the COP30 climate conference in November.
10. Unity
Despite leaders often expressing the ideal of unity among countries on the continent, fractures persist between francophone and anglophone countries, as well as between nations.
The rivalry between Morocco and Algeria, over what Algeria says is Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara, has played itself out among the allies of the two countries in votes on positions within the organisation as well as on policy issues. These tensions show no sign of abating, if the start of the summit is anything to go by.
Report by By Carien du Plessis, in Addis Ababa for The Africa Report.com
