The 31st ordinary session of the assembly of African Union (AU) heads of state and government has begun today in The Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott.
The theme for the 2018 summit is “Winning the fight against corruption: A sustainable path to Africa’s transformation”.
Several heads of state have travelled to the West African country to attend the two-day meeting, which has been preceded by the 36th ordinary session of the permanent representatives’ committee (June 25 – 26), and the 33rd ordinary session of the executive council (June 28 – 29).
Although the fight against corruption will take center stage in the Summit, other issues will also be included in the agenda.
These include the South Sudan peace process and the security challenges in the Sahel region.
The top economies on the continent are represented in Nouakchoot. They include South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari, and Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, There are several notable absences from the summit, though. Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta is not there, citing urgent matters of state.
