At the fifth Mid-Year coordination conference of the African Union, which took place on Sunday, July 16, African leaders gathered in Gigiri, Nairobi County.
Among other things, the summit sought to resolve important problems with African integration and labor distribution.
The President of Kenya presided over the meeting. William Ruto demanded that the AU be reformed with an emphasis on the organization’s financial independence.
The leader declared, “The pan-African movement has always been about sovereignty and agency.
“First and foremost, chronic reliance, even on well-intentioned partners, is at odds with the desire for autonomy, self-determination, and agency. And because of this, I think we should seriously consider the suggestions provided in order to turn our organization into one that can support itself and get funding from us.
Less than 40% of Member States pay their yearly contributions to the institution, according to A.U. statistics.
The 2020 institution budget was broken down as follows in a piece headlined “African Union sustainable funding strategy gains momentum” on the organization’s website:
The operating budget of the Union will be funded with US$157.2 million; the program budget with US$216.9 million; and the peace support activities with US$273.1 million.
“Member States and international partners will pay for peace support operations. 38% of the total money will be charged to the member states, while 61% will come from partners. The operating budget will be entirely funded by Member States, while the programmed budget will be supported by Member States to the extent of 41% and by International Partners to the extent of 59%, according to the paper.
Burden Of Debt
President Ruto advocated for a more equitable financial structure while highlighting the debt loads that many African nations bear.
According to a UN research, African countries borrow money at a lower rate than the most developed European countries.
“Our continent spends up to eight times more than our brothers and sisters elsewhere, according to the UN secretary general himself. We should have a financial system that treats everyone equally because it is only fair.
The African Union’s (AU) annual theme, “Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation,” was the main topic of discussion at the 5th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting.
The meeting, which concluded on Sunday, was attended by the Regional Economic Communities, the Regional Mechanisms, and the AU Member States. They met under the African Union’s annual theme, “Accelerating the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.”
Additionally present was Azali Assoumani, the President of the Comoros, who now serves as the Union’s chair.
Bola Tinubu (Nigeria), Abdel Fattah (Egypt), Macky Sall (Senegal), Ismail Guelleh (Djibouti), and Ali Bongo (Gabon), among others, were also in attendance.
The Executive Council’s Ordinary Session had taken place before the summit.
Other resources • A.U.
