African Union leaders meet in Ethiopia to address continent's pressing challenges, find solutions

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Africa's leadership converged on the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Saturday for the annual African Union summit to address the continent's challenges, including ongoing armed conflicts, recent coups, and mounting regional tensions.

The heads of state were accompanied by their deputies, dignitaries from non-African nations, foreign ministers, and representatives of international organizations.

The theme of this year's summit, "Educate an African fit for the 21st Century," encapsulates the urgent need to transform education across the continent to address the challenges and meet opportunities of the modern era.

"To grow and ensure sustainable development, education is a key," Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in his opening speech on Saturday.

Leaders need to deal with the main challenge facing education, he stressed, noting that, "the major factors affecting education systems are investments and financial constraints."

They will meet for two days to discuss strategies for improving access to quality education across the continent, equipping young people with essential skills, and fostering innovation for sustainable development.

African Union leaders will also try to find solutions to conflicts such as the one affecting Amhara in Ethiopia, the protracted insurgency in Somalia, and other armed conflicts.

Discussions are expected to focus on regional peacekeeping efforts, mediation strategies, and potential avenues for dialogue and cease-fire agreements.

Military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea over the past year have raised concerns about democratic backsliding and further instability.

The summit will address ways to support transitions back to civilian rule, promote good governance, and strengthen constitutional frameworks.

Economic development, food security, and climate change remain pressing issues across Africa, and leaders will explore strategies for boosting economic growth, increasing agricultural productivity, and strengthening regional trade partnerships.

- Economic unity

The African Union leaders reiterated their commitment to expediting the creation of an African Monetary Union through the harmonization of monetary zones to promote economic unity.

The initiative involves establishing three key financial institutions across Africa under the African Union umbrella – the African Central Bank (ACB), African Monetary Fund (AMF), and African Investment Bank (AIB).

While supporting the African Monetary Union initiative, Kenyan President William Ruto called for a pressing need for reform within the global financial system.

"The reform of the global financial system is an urgent agenda for Africa and, indeed, the entire Global South. These countries access funding from multilateral financial institutions at a much higher cost than others in the Global North, and even when they access funding, it is usually not at the scale and level necessary to implement transformative policies and programs," Ruto said.

The African Monetary Union initiative seeks to foster economic stability and growth across the continent by enhancing regional cooperation, strengthening monetary policies, and facilitating smoother financial transactions.

The African Union heads of state and government have chosen Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, the president of Mauritania, as the bloc’s new chairman for the year 2024.