Riyaz Patel
President Cyril Ramaphosa says economic integration and cooperation, women’s empowerment, good governance and ‘silencing the guns’ across the continent will form the bedrock of South Africa’s tenure as African Union (AU) chair.
On 8 and 9 February 2020, Heads of State and Government will convene in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the 33rd Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly where South Africa will assume the chairship.
Addressing South African heads of mission in Pretoria Tuesday, Ramaphosa outlined how diplomatic missions abroad can help execute Pretoria’s mandate as chair of the African Union in 2020.
“Our Chairship of the AU will have an impact on all of South Africa’s missions – especially multilateral missions – since our ambassadors will need to promote not only South Africa and its positions, but also the positions of the African Union,” said Ramaphosa.
“At the top of our agenda as AU Chair must be the deepening of economic integration. This is a historic moment that we must seize,” he said.
He pointed out that the recently inaugurated African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents the largest common market in the world, and that “together with our fellow African countries, we must implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement with purpose and determination.”
But he added that speeding up infrastructure development was key to AcCTA’S success.
“We know that the AfCFTA will only become a reality if the infrastructure between African countries is developed. Infrastructure is at the core of Africa’s social, economic and political challenges. It is crucial for sustainable development and inclusive growth, and for diversification through industrialisation and value addition,” said the President.
AfCFTA brings together all 55 member states of the AU covering a market of more than 1.2 billion people and aims to accelerate intra-African trade while boosting Africa’s trading position in the global market.
Another pillar of South Africa’s agenda as AU chair will be the empowerment of women, with a specific emphasis on promoting financial and economic inclusion and combating gender-based violence.
“On women’s financial and economic inclusion, South Africa will work with the AU’s Women, Gender and Development Directorate, which is responsible for leading, guiding, defending and coordinating the AU’s efforts on gender equality and development.”
Ramaphosa said South Africa will work closely with the AU Leader on Gender and Development, President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana who launched the Gender and Development Initiative for Africa in 2017 as his flagship programme.
The President said as Chair of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in 2020, South Africa will be primarily responsible for driving the APRM’s good governance agenda.
“Specific focus will need to be given to two (seemingly) intractable conflicts on the continent – in Libya and South Sudan – where South Africa is already actively involved in seeking solutions,” added Ramaphosa.
South Africa previously held the AU Chairship in 2002, at the seminal session that officially launched the African Union.
