The Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) has elected the President of the Republic of Guinea, Alpha Conde, as the new Chairperson of the AU.
President Alpha Conde was elected Chairperson of the AU to replace former Chairperson Idriss Deby Itno, President of the Republic of Chad, at the ordinary session of the union, being its 28th in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday.
Speaking shortly after being elected, Alpha Conde hailed the outgoing Chairperson for his pan-African spirit and commitment to put Africa’s Agenda at the center of priorities during his term as Chair of the Union.
During the handing over ceremony, the outgoing Chairperson thanked his peers and the AU Commission for the support they gave him during his mandate.
Speaking earlier, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Dr. Dlamini Zuma thanked the outgoing Chairperson of the Union, for the excellent cooperation and guidance offered during his term in 2017; “including the politics and history classes that punctuated the deliberations, and that kept us engaged”, she underlined.
President Conde highlighted in his acceptance speech the major programs to be undertaken during his mandate. He will have among other important duties to ensure the implementation by AU Member States the theme of the year 2017: “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in Youth”.
He will further mobilize the continent to implement the AU Agenda 2063 with the view to place Africa as a key player in the global arena.