Ruto calls for unity in reforming African Union

By Amina Wako
Sunday, February 25, 2024

The President rejected the narrative of poverty saying that Africa "cannot certainly be a continent defined by poverty."

President William Ruto has called for continental unity in reforming the African Union to unleash its full potential and make it "fit-for-purpose".

The Kenyan leader who was recently handed over the baton of championing the reforms by the African Union Summit spoke in Windhoek, Namibia on Saturday during the State funeral of the former Namibian President, Hage Geingob.

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"We must together with one voice reform our African Union to make it fit-for-purpose so that we can march into the future as the epicentre of green manufacturing, position ourselves with our resources, enormous resources, the energy resources, agricultural potential, mineral and natural resources that we have," said Ruto while addressing mourners at Uhuru stadium in Namibia.

He rejected the narrative of poverty saying that Africa "cannot certainly be a continent defined by poverty."

"We must be a continent defined by opportunity, by potential and by investment," Ruto told African leaders and mourners.

President William Ruto during the State Funeral of former Namibian President Hage Geingob in Windhoek on February 24, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

The institutional reforms of the African Union were introduced in 2016 by African leaders as urgent and necessary given the role the AU is expected to play in driving and achieving Africa's agenda 2063 vision of inclusive economic growth and development.

Rwandan leader Paul Kagame was mandated by his peers to lead the process, and recently handed over to his Kenyan colleague after almost eight years of spearheading the reforms agenda.

However, Kagame during a closed-door meeting in Addis Ababa, cited challenges in his role saying only a few goals have been achieved since he took over to carry out an ambitious governance plan focusing on the financial independence of the AU and strengthening the powers of the commission chairperson.

Kagame's entourage told Jeune Afrique that the unwillingness of some African leaders, the bureaucratic red tape within the continental body, in particular the blockages within the organisation's committee of permanent representatives, adding that the committee of experts appointed to assist him were "out of touch".

This nine-member committee included Nigeria's Amina Mohammed among others.