Rwandas candidate Monique Nsanzabaganwa has been elected as the African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson. Nsanzabaganwa was elected by 42 out of 55 votes during the 34th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly held virtually. She contested against Ugandas candidate, Pamela Kasabiiti Mbabazi, who garnered 10 votes and Hasna Barkat Daoud of Djibouti who collected 2 votes. The Deputy Chairperson is an elective position (two-thirds majority of Member States eligible to vote) by the Assembly for a four-year renewable term. Nsanzabaganwa will deputize Moussa Faki Mahamat who was also re-elected for a second four-year term. Faki who was running unopposed was re-elected by 51 with 3 abstentions. In her new role, she will deputize the Chairperson in the executive functions and is also in charge of administration and finance and in the event of absence of the chairperson, she will sit in. Nsanzabaganwa had campaigned on a promise to drive efficiency and accountability as well as financial sustainability. According to her manifesto, among her 5 priorities included leadership empowerment, and strengthening accountability and transparency. She also seeks to enhance the AU Commission’s integrity, drive the reform of structural systems, as well as lead the organisation’s cultural transformation. During her campaign, she said she was joining the organisation at a critical time to implement administrative and financial reforms of the AU, with focus on financial sustainability and full accountability. Nsanzabaganwa has previously held multiple leadership roles including her immediate position as Deputy Governor at Central Bank in 2011 as well as chair of the Executive Committee of Unity Club, an organisation comprising former and current cabinet members and spouses She also chairs the Rwandan chapter New Faces, New Voices, a Pan-African advocacy group that focuses on expanding the role and influence of women in the financial sector. She previously served as Minister of Trade and Industry, and Minister of State for Economic Planning. The 49-year-old mother of three holds a PhD in economics. Nsanzabaganwa is the second Rwandan to occupy the position, the first one being the late Patrick Mazimhaka, who was elected to the position in 2003 until 2008.
