The African Union’s 29th Heads of State summit at the level of foreign ministers has begun in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
The 31st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union kicked off on Friday in the framework of the 29th AU summit.
The ministers have put together proposed agenda in areas of AU reforms, peace and security as well as migration.
The former Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, gave her speech as well.
The new chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat in his speech reiterated the need for Africa to speak with one voice.
“Whenever we have kept our unity and spoken with one voice, we have won victories,” he said.
His speech focused on 4 main issues: the priorities of the African Union; progress in institutional reform, the need to speak with one voice and the link between decisions reached and the will to implement them.
Moussa Faki pledged to continue visiting areas where member states continue to face the scourges of wars and terrorism. He recalled that since taking office in March 2017, he had already been to Somalia, South Sudan, the Sahel and the Lake Chad basin.
The AUC Commissioner said that African youth are hungry for action and want results.
“In all the countries I have visited, the fears of women and young people are most poignant”, he said adding that the AU must make decisions that translate this urgent social need into concrete action.
CGTN’s Girum Chala attended the meeting and sent this report.
