Angola, one of the oil powers of sub-Saharan Africa, assumed the rotating presidency of the African Union (AU) for the first time this Saturday in Addis Ababa, at a time of great security and development challenges on the continent.

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“This is the first time that the Republic of Angola has taken on this important responsibility of guiding the destinies of our continent for the next twelve months, which will lead me to closely look at the main issues of Africa,” said Angolan President João Lourenço as he received the baton from his Mauritanian counterpart, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who held the position.

The handover took place during the opening session of the two-day ordinary annual summit of the heads of state and government of the AU, held at the organization’s headquarters in the Ethiopian capital.

The presidency of the AU rotates among the five geographical regions of Africa, lasts for one year, and allows the country holding it to set the priorities and initiatives of the pan-African organization.

“Our experience in seeking solutions to issues related to peace and security and in ensuring that member states implement economic and social policies that promote the progress and development of our continent is very special to us as we take on the ‘pro tempore’ presidency of the African Union,” the Angolan leader emphasized.

Lourenço advocated for making international partners understand “the importance and advantage of cooperating with a developed, industrialized Africa, capable of overcoming hunger, poverty, misery, and unemployment, thereby reducing the likelihood of armed conflicts and illegal immigrants near their borders.”

On the other hand, Mahmoud Youssouf, Foreign Minister of Djibouti won the  race to become the new Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

The 59-year-old FM won over two other candidates, the Kenya’s veteran opposition leader and former prime minister, Raila Odinga, 80; and Madagascar’s former foreign minister, Richard Randriamandrato, 65.

Youssouf says he will prioritise regional security and promote greater unity across Africa, aiming to bridge linguistic and cultural divides on the continent.

As head of the AU Commission, the Djibouti chancellor will face challenges ranging from the rise to power of military juntas in West Africa to conflicts such as the war in Sudan or the recent offensive by the powerful rebel group Movement 23 de Marzo (M23) in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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