Ruto Off to Addis for AU Meeting 

President William Ruto flew to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday afternoon for the 37th African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government. 

The theme of the summit is on building resilient education systems for Africa’s 21st-century human capital.

Ruto will speak on the education inequalities that have left 98 million children in Africa without access to schooling.

In his capacity as the chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), Ruto will also deliver a report on the strides the continent has made in mitigating the climate crisis.

This includes the Nairobi Declaration, agreed upon during the first-ever Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi last September. The document is Africa’s authoritative blueprint for addressing the climate change crisis and proposes reform of the global financial system as well as the Multilateral Development Banks.

Ruto will also participate in a mini-East African Community Summit focusing on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other regional concerns. Additionally, he will hold meetings with fellow Heads of State, heads of international agencies, and business leaders.

The AU Summit will discuss and make far-reaching decisions on the security situation on the continent as some of its member states continue to face security challenges.  At the opening of the Executive Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the resurgence of military coups, pre- and post-election violence, humanitarian crises linked to war and the effects of climate change, were highlighted as serious threats that may reverse the gains accumulated in the development agenda of the continent.

The emerging cracks on regional integration will also be discussed in the two-day ministerial session on the 14th to 15th February 2024.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission underscored the need to holistically address issues on the continent paying attention to the global dynamics which exacerbate the worrying situations.

He highlighted the security deficits in Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, and the Sahel region, which are currently embroiled in armed conflicts and terrorism.