The African Union is on the lookout for a boss and a compass | EUROtoday
Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
HASfter a grand dinner the day earlier than on the headquarters of the African Union (AU), former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga spoke to the press on Saturday, November 9 in a reception room of the luxurious Radisson Blu lodge. ‘Addis Ababa. At 79, the person who failed in 5 presidential elections in his nation has formally launched his marketing campaign for the presidency of the AU Commission.
The vote, which will likely be held on the time of the summit of the pan-African physique in February, will pit him towards three different candidates: the Djiboutian Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the Malagasy Richard Randriamandrato and the Mauritian Anil Gayan. It is Raila Odinga and Mahamoud Ali Youssouf who at the moment look like the favorites to interchange the present president, the Chadian Moussa Faki, who can not run after his two four-year mandates. The latter underlined, over the past summit of the physique, the principle weak point of this alliance of 55 states. The overwhelming majority of selections – 93% over time 2021, 2022 and 2023 – usually are not carried out.
Blurry texts and lack of economic independence
“The tradition consists of adopting decisions unanimously, which produces very vague, very general texts, aiming for example to “increase trade on the continent” or “to silence the guns by 2030”, explains Ueli Staeger, AU specialist on the University of Amsterdam. The institutional reform begun in 2016 has, furthermore, restricted the capability of the Commission, whereas the Member States don’t present the required means for it to perform correctly due to quite a lot of workers,” specifies the researcher.
ALSO READ The challenges awaiting the African Union in 2018 “The next president of the Commission must reduce the AU’s dependence on external funding and encourage member countries to pay their contributions so that the body is self-financing and finally serves the interests of Africa, and no longer from the rest of the world,” insists Patricia Agupusi, assistant professor of social sciences at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
She additionally recommends elevated engagement of the populations in order that “they exercise control over the activities of the AU”. As a part of the marketing campaign for the presidency of the Commission, debates between the candidates will happen. But they’ll most likely be addressed extra to heads of state than to their residents. “Most citizens are not aware of this election,” regrets Patricia Agupusi.
“Promote unity among African countries”
In entrance of journalists, this Saturday firstly of the afternoon, Raila Odinga was questioned concerning the first measures he would put in place if he have been elected… His solutions, like the selections taken by the physique, are cautious to not focus on sensible particulars. “The first solution is to try to promote unity among African countries. Unity is a concept prior to development. We want to be sure that African countries speak with one voice, outlines the Kenyan candidate. We want to ensure that the regional economic groupings known as CERs are properly integrated […] to enable AU decisions to be implemented through these groups,” he provides.
His Djiboutian rival, 21 years his junior, intends to deal with the identical initiatives general: “the promotion of peace and security, the acceleration of economic integration, support for innovation and entrepreneurship , as well as the defense of human rights and democracy.” The team of this Minister of Foreign Affairs, a position he has held since 2005, highlights his mastery of the three main languages spoken at the AU, English, French and Arabic. “This is an important factor which could allow Djibouti to be supported by French-speaking countries. It has also received the approval of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, of which 27 African countries are part,” indicates Babatunde Fagbayibo.
This professor of international law at the University of Pretoria nevertheless believes that Raila Odinga’s career within the pan-African body could work in his favor. Unless the memory of his two failures within him does him a disservice. In 2011, he lost his role as mediator in Ivory Coast because of his proximity to the newly elected president, Alassane Ouattara.
Visions that differ little
To Discover
Kangaroo of the day
Answer
Last yr, he needed to depart his publish as envoy to the AU Commission for Infrastructure Development in Africa after encouraging protests towards the Kenyan authorities. However, Kenyan President William Ruto helps Raila Odinga’s candidacy to go the Commission. The visions of the Malagasy and Mauritian candidates differ little from these of Raila Odinga and Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.
The first, Richard Randriamandrato, present Minister of Foreign Affairs, needs to favor integration and financial development, peace, safety and regional stability, monetary autonomy and sustainable growth and, lastly, democratic governance and Rule of legislation. The second, lawyer Anil Gayan, intends to “create a more integrated, more prosperous and more peaceful Africa, financially independent, operationally efficient and guided by good governance”.
https://www.lepoint.fr/afrique/l-union-africaine-se-cherche-un-patron-et-une-boussole-13-12-2024-2577869_3826.php