‘The Africa We Want’: AU leaders agree on ambitious institutional reforms for Agenda 2063

An ambitious reforms plan for the African Union (AU) was laid out during a high-level meeting of African heads of state and governments on Monday (27 January), focusing on boosting peace, security, and financial independence to transform the continent into a powerhouse of development and stability.
The landmark retreat of the extended bureau of the AU institutional reforms, which was held in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, was chaired the host country’s president William Ruto who is a strong advocate for the reform in the intergovernmental organization. The participating leaders that included presidents of Comoros, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Ethiopia and also the AU chairman, identified key priority areas, including the operationalization of the Africa Court of Justice to enhance conflict resolution on the continent. President Ruto said that a five-member committee will be set up to drive the implementation of the already agreed reforms of the different agencies, institutions and organs.
“We agreed that for a continent with as much potential as Africa, with a population of 1.4 billion people, with the highest resources of energy and natural resources, with the demographic dividend being the youngest continent, a continent that will probably have 25% of the world’s workforce in the next 20 years or 25 years,” Ruto said. He noted that it was necessary for Africa Union to “reimagine, rethink, reorganize our peace and security architecture.” The meeting took place as conflicts across Africa have intensified recently, contributing to a worsening humanitarian situation. With the ongoing conflicts and growing insecurity causing Africa to lose $18 billion annually, the Kenyan leader called for urgent revitalization of the AU’s peace and security framework.