Leaders gathered in Nairobi for the 5th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the AU and expressed the need for reforms that would allow the AU to pursue critical interventions using internally mobilized resources.
President William Ruto emphasized that chronic dependence on well-meaning partners is inconsistent with the Pan-African movement’s aspiration for sovereignty and agency. He called for freeing up the AU from structural and organizational constraints, including duplication and inefficiencies, to make it more effective on a larger scale.
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To initiate these reforms, Ruto highlighted the importance of clearly defining the roles and functions of different organs and instruments within the AU. This includes specifying the coordination, administrative, and implementation mandates of the commission, the legislative and oversight functions of a strong Pan-African Parliament, and the political leadership, ownership, and broad policy direction of the Council.
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Ruto also noted that African integration is inevitable and will pave the way for unprecedented socioeconomic transformation. He cited the progress made in implementing the Africa Continental Free Trade Area as a compelling signal of this integration. The free trade area aims to create a single market among 54 countries with a population of 4 billion and a GDP of $3.4 trillion. It is projected to lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty and boost incomes by 7% (equivalent to $450 billion) by 2035.
The meeting in Nairobi was attended by several African leaders, including Presidents Azali Assoumani (Comoros), Ali Bongo (Gabon), Abdel Fattah (Egypt), Macky Sall (Senegal), Ismail Guelleh (Djibouti), and Bola Tinubu (Nigeria), as well as African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki, among others.
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