The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Olivier Nduhungirehe is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he joined fellow ministers for the 48th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Executive Council, on Wednesday, February 11. The two-day session of the Council, one of the AU’s principal policy organs composed of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and other designated ministers, is taking place ahead of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government scheduled for February 14-15. This year’s AU Summit is convened under the theme “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.” Opening the Executive Council session, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called for unity, sustainable water management and accelerated continental integration. He underscored the urgency of safeguarding water resources amid climate disruptions, describing water as both a shared public good and a tool for peace. “In the face of observed climate disruptions, the prudent use of water in all aspects of daily life is a major imperative. This vital resource must be perceived as a collective good to be preserved at all costs and as a vector for bringing our States closer together and for peace,” Youssouf said. He also highlighted progress made through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and AU specialised agencies, urging member states to mobilise innovative financing and broaden partnerships to sustain Africa’s development momentum. Addressing the Council, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Claver Gatete, said the continent is at a decisive turning point as global economic conditions shift. “For decades, developing countries relied on an external model: export raw commodities, import manufactured goods and finance development through concessional flows. But that model is no longer viable,” Gatete told the ministers, stressing that Africa must increasingly organise its development around its own continental economic system. He argued that the AU’s theme on water and sanitation should be viewed not only as a social priority but as an economic imperative. “Water and sanitation are not merely social services but economic infrastructure,” Gatete said, noting that unreliable access to water undermines productivity, discourages investment and constrains industrialisation. Gatete called for stronger domestic resource mobilisation, deeper market integration under the AfCFTA, investment in integrated infrastructure, value addition through regional value chains, and the use of technology and data to enhance competitiveness. The Executive Council is considering a broad agenda as it prepares matters for the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. Among key items are the report of the 51st Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC) and updates on the AU’s participation in the G20. Ministers are also conducting elections and appointments to AU organs and institutions, including the Peace and Security Council, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The Council is reviewing progress on the implementation of previous decisions, including the Skills Assessment and Competence Audit (SACA) process, and examining draft legal instruments and institutional governance matters. Reports from ministerial committees, covering issues such as the scale of assessment and contributions, African candidatures within the international system, and implementation of Agenda 2063 are also under discussion. In addition, the Executive Council is scrutinising the draft agenda and decisions for the upcoming Assembly before adopting its own decisions.
