A general view shows Chad’s President Idriss Deby addressing delegates during the 26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, [Photo- REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri ]The African Union is going through a period of reforms, with a push for self-funding. In 2017 member countries started implementing the 0.2% levy on eligible imports. In the same year, as high as 74% of the organization’s budget was still funded by external donors.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNXQNfgrkig
So with so much reliance on external funding, is the African Union’s autonomy over its agenda compromised?
Beatrice Marshall speaks with our Studio guests Shadrack Gutto- Emeritus Professor at University of South Africa and Geert Laporte – Deputy Director European Centre for Development and Policy management about all the previous attempts at self-funding and why they have seemingly failed . The panel will also discuss whether member countries can find a lasting solution?
