African ministers head to Ghana for African Union executive council meeting

By Hassan Isilow

African foreign ministers and representatives will meet in Accra, Ghana on Thursday for the 45th ordinary session of the African Union (AU) executive council to discuss and adopt the 55-member bloc's budget for 2025 and other issues affecting the continent.

The two-day meeting is also expected to reflect on the AU’s role in the upcoming G20 leaders’ summit, scheduled for November in Brazil.

Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola will head South Africa’s delegation for the gathering, a government statement said.

The session will deliberate on and adopt the AU budget for 2025, which is important for advancing its mandate, including the implementation of Agenda 2063 and its flagship projects, as well as the Silencing of the Guns initiative.

The readout said Lamola's participation emphasizes the importance of strengthening the union and its organs while achieving financial independence, an important step toward addressing the development challenges faced by the continent.

The top diplomats and other designated ministers sent by AU member states might also raise issues of insecurity facing the continent such as militant groups in West Africa, the Sahel, Somalia and the conflict in the DRC. Africa also faces challenges of climate change, which have impacted food security threatening lives of millions of people.

While in Ghana, Lamola will also engage in bilateral discussions with counterparts from other African nations, his office said.