ADDIS ABABA
By Reginald Tapfumaneyi
The African Union Commission Chairperson H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat has expressed optimism over the challenges the continent is facing while praising the resilience the people have showed and pledges to prioritize nutrition and healthy issues to the continent’s population.
Addressing guests at the ongoing 42nd Ordinary session of Executive Council that kicked of this morning in Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa with African Foreign Affairs Ministers and head of delegations in attendance, the Chairperson acknowledged challenges being faced by Africans.
He said that Africa’s challenges have been compounded by the prevailing difficulties the world is facing in key sectors of health, economics, peace and security, among others.
“This has contributed to changes in global geopolitics causing more uncertainities, remodeling, structuring and restructuring of international configurations. Notably, the worrying progression of terrorism, the return of non-constitutional changes, declining growth, constantly deteriorating climatic conditions among other challenges are issues which the continent is bent to consistently deal with until they are completely eradicated.
“Despite this unfavorable context, Africa is showing remarkable signs of resilience and the African Union, in its various components, has maintained its operational dynamic in the implementation of programs and decisions, ”bemoaned the Chairperson.
He also said that taking into consideration the combined impacts of the various crises that have recently shakened the whole world the African Union is determined to give priority to health and nutrition issues.
“While mitigating the effects induced by the urgency of meeting the needs of the populations, the Union is part of the search for long-term solutions aimed at setting up structures and capacities for food and medicine production.
“It is in this logic that the operationalization of Africa CDC is nearing completion while the African Medicines Agency, AMA, has begun its own with already the choice of its headquarters,” said Mahamat.
Meanwhile those in attendance of the session were Senegalese Foreign Affairs Minister Aissata Tall Sall,Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen,AUC Chairperson H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Deputy Chairperson of the AUC, Ag. Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Commissioners of the AUC and Heads of AU Organs/ Missions, the diplomatic corps, representatives of the international community and invited guests among others.
