Vice President Kashim Shettima on yesterday joined other leaders across Africa and beyond at the opening of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
This came just as the President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, took over as the new Chairman of the African Union for 2026, succeeding the outgone Chairman, President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço of Angola.
According to a presidential spokesman , Stanley Nkwocha, no fewer than 49 heads of state and government, leaders of global and regional bodies and development partners attended the opening session, including the United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres; Heads of State and Government of member States, and the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, among others.
In his welcome address at the summit with the theme, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali, emphasised the need for African leaders to be unanimous in their resolve to champion the socio-economic transformation of the continent.
He said Ethiopia, under his leadership, was making giant strides through its investments in smart agriculture, climate friendly energy projects and was on track in providing a sustainable future for its rapidly growing population currently put at over 130 million people.
UN Secretary-General expressed African Union’s support and solidarity with the global body, describing the partnership with Africa as “always the unwavering, decisive support of the African Group in the UN on issue after issue, initiative after initiative, in the shared struggle for justice and equality.”
“Your solidarity has not only strengthened our efforts; it has moved me deeply, and I will never forget it. From day one of my mandate, we forged a UN partnership with the African Union rooted in respect, constant dialogue, and unwavering solidarity. Over the last decade, our cooperation has reached new heights,” he added.
The UN scribe, who spoke on a wide range of issues, urged African leaders to strengthen their commitments to the ideals of the United Nations, assuring that under his watch, the global body will continue to prioritise Africa’s progress towards peace, security and sustainable development.
Also, the outgone Chairperson of the African Union, President Lourenço of Angola, gave a scorecard of his stewardship as Chairman of the continental body. He spoke about the agenda for the gathering, identifying water and sanitation, climate change, peace and security as key priorities for leaders and other stakeholders at the summit.
