The 37th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly of the Heads of State and Government commenced on Saturday, with a call to intensify efforts to enhance education in Africa and accelerate the realization of the continent’s development goals. The two-day gathering, attended by leaders from AU member states, is convened under the AU’s theme for 2024, “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century”.
Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa,” at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital.
As Africa focuses on education in 2024, the summit convened to discuss ways to improve education and skills to align with the continental vision and market demands, and to assess the progress, challenges, and prospects of Africa’s overall development.
Addressing the opening session, Azali Assoumani, president of the Comoros and chairperson of the AU, emphasised the critical importance of intensified efforts to promote continental stability and development.
“With particular emphasis on the promotion and preservation of peace and security on our beloved continent, this common security concern has informed all our endeavors during our tenure. The tranquility of our continent remains the cornerstone of achieving our vision by 2063 for a united and prosperous Africa,” Assoumani stated.
Chairperson of the AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the imperative for AU member states to collectively address ongoing challenges that threaten Africa’s development aspirations.
“Our main challenges have not diminished in importance. Peace, political and institutional instability, climate change, deficits in economic governance, poverty, marginalization of women and youths in development and leadership processes in our political and social system, remain our main sources of concern,” Faki declared.
The AU commission chief, however, acknowledged that despite challenges, the African continent has made progress in various sectors, including continental integration and bolstering the African common position on the global stage, among others.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, for his part, emphasized the importance of establishing robust regional and continental platforms that consider national development challenges from geographical, logistical, and security perspectives.
He also called for advancing Africa’s socio-economic and infrastructure integration to accelerate the achievement of key development goals.
“Increasing infrastructure connectivity between our countries, by building roads, airports, and ports, rail networks, pipelines, and communication networks, will link communities, increase trade, and enable economic integration,” Ahmed said.
As part of the two-day summit, African leaders are anticipated to discuss a wide range of continental issues, including regional peace and security, continental development, AU reform, Africa’s enhanced presence on the global stage, and the promotion of socio-economic and infrastructure integration across the continent.
Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, delivers a speech during the 37th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of the Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 17, 2024. The 37th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of the Heads of State and Government commenced on Saturday at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia