Moussa Faki begins second-term as AU Commission Chairperson

Moussa Faki Mahamat was on Monday sworn in as the chairperson of the African Union Commission for a second term following his re-election on Saturday.

Mahamat, who ran unopposed, garnered the support of 51 out of 55 states during the AU’s 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

Mahamat’s deputy, Dr Monique Nsanzabagwana, was also sworn in on Monday, and she made history as the first woman to hold the position.

Nsanzabagwana, who is also the deputy governor of the national bank of Rwanda, won 42 out of 55 votes in the final round of voting, defeating candidates from Uganda and Djibouti.

Mahamat, along with Nsanzabagwana and other commissioners, held their first meeting with the new AU chairperson President Félix Tshisekedi earlier on Monday morning, following the conclusion of the summit.

The leadership of the AU has at the top of its agenda the acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines for the continent.

It will also have to address the multiple internal conflicts across the continent, among them the Ethiopia-Tigray situation, the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon and the Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique.

The bloc will also be crucial in supporting the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which is expected to reshape markets and economies across the region and boost output in the services, manufacturing, and natural resources sectors.

Edited by Olajumoke Adeleke