African Union: Leaders To Evaluate Sweeping Reforms At Next Summit

Some 1,500 resolutions were taken over the years, but nothing concrete to show.

Gone are those days when African Union, AU summits were characterized by endless talking and taking of resolutions that were hardly implemented. At their meeting in Kigali, Rwanda in July 2016, continental leaders agreed on a number of sweeping measures. Talking to Cameroon Tribune in an exclusive interview on September 7, 2017, in the Chinese city of Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Ethnic Autonomous Region, Prof. Alpha Condé, Guinea Conakry President and Chair of the African Union, said the problem with the AU is that many decisions are reached, but no action is taken after.

 “President Paul Kagame of Rwanda who is in charge reforming the AU said the organization over the years took 1,500 decisions, but nothing concrete was done. It was then decided last year that not more than three decisions will henceforth be taken at any summit. In this light, next July’s AU summit will assess how far we have gone with implementing decisions of last July’s meeting like investing in youth,” the AU Chair explained.

“It was also agreed that if a Head of State does not attend a summit, they can only be represented by either the Vice President or Prime Minister. It is only in very exceptional circumstances that a Foreign Minister will be allowed to represent their country,” he warned. “We have decided to speak with one voice. This was seen during the recent election of the Director General of the World Health Organisation, ...