The African Union (AU) will hold its annual ordinary meetings from February 15 to 27, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. These include the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of AU slated for February 15 to 19, the 36th ordinary Session of the AU Heads of State and Government Assembly on February 18 to 19, as well as the 45th Ordinary Session of Permanent Representatives’ committee (ambassadors) from February 16 to 27. ALSO READ: Kagame calls for speedy industrial development in Africa The summit will take place at an especially delicate moment for the continent on matters to do with insecurity and economic disruptions. The past two years have brought deadly civil wars in Ethiopia, conflicts in the eastern DR Congo, in addition to Somalia, Mozambique and other countries that continue to battle jihadist insurgencies. The continent is also dealing with economic stress caused by the pandemic and global supply chain disruption as countries faced inflationary pressures since the end of 2021 from the Russia-Ukraine war with risks of more debt distress. African leaders have been echoing the need to reverse the dependence on western countries by strengthening the intra-African trade which should be buoyed by the full operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). ALSO READ: Biden to announce support for African Union joining G20 Top on the agenda is also discussions on positioning Africa for climate resilience by deliberate efforts to drive climate adaptation and acquire the necessary funding through different frameworks put in place. It has been 10 years since the drafting and adoption of the Agenda 2063 that is more of the continent’s bible towards achieving the intended development. Comoros will assume the chairmanship of the African Union in 2023, moving from Senegal to an island nation for the first time.
