Three African politicians seeking the role of Chairperson of the African Union Commission met on Friday, 13 December 2024 in a debate at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa. The debate was organized in line with Article 18 (b) of the AU Assembly decision[1] of November 18, 2018, requiring candidates for the position of Chairperson to participate in a public debate to present their visions and ideas on the implementation of the AU’s Agenda 2063[2]. Although the debate was broadcasted live with African citizens as the targeted audience, citizens do not have a role in the elections. The actual voting is done by member states.
The African Union is made up of 55 member states divided into five geographic regions[3]:Central Africa, Eastern Africa, Northern Africa, Southern Africa, and Western Africa. The allocation of senior leadership position in the AU system is based on the principle of equitable regional representation to allow each of these regions hold leadership role within the commission[4].
The current chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat[5] is from the Central African region, a lawyer and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chad. The Eastern region is contesting for the role of the Chairperson in 2025[6], while the Northern region is contesting for the role of the Deputy Chairperson. The remaining three regions (Central, Southern, and Western regions) will then contest for the six portfolios of AUC Commissioners[6]. Elected members will serve for four years and maybe eligible to compete for reelection.
Meet the Candidates
The candidates for the 2025 elections are Mahamoud Ali Youssouf (59yrs), Foreign Affairs Minister of Djibouti; Raila Amolo Odinga (79yrs), former Prime Minister of Kenya; and Richard James Randriamandrato (65yrs), former Foreign Affairs Minister of Madagascar[7]. The following Northerners are vying for the Deputy Chairperson role: Salah Francis (64 yrs) and Selma Malika (47yrs) from Algeria, Mohamed Fathi Ahmed (64 yrs) and Hanan Morsy (49 yrs) from Egypt, Najat Elhjjaji (72 yrs) from Libya, and Latifa Akharbach (64 yrs) from Morocco.
The 2024 Mjadala Afrika Debate Night
Mjadala Afrika, first held in 2017, provides a platform that allows candidates vying for the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission to engage with African citizens [8]. The 2024 debate was structured with 5 minutes for each candidate to introduce themselves and highlight their vision statements, 4 minutes each for four rounds of questions, and 2 minutes for closing statements. Two breaks were given—one after introductions and first round of questions and the other before the closing statements.
All four questions were sealed in envelopes and handed to the moderators by Amb. Konjit SineGiorgis, current chair of the AU panel of eminent Africans [9]. In her opening remarks, the Ethiopian diplomat regretted the absence of a female candidate among contestants stating, “it’s a serious homework the commission has to take into consideration.” The three politicians contesting for the chairperson role acknowledged that Africa is lagging in terms of development and infrastructure but on the right path towards achieving these goals and upholding the vision of the founding fathers.
Candidates’ view on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
Approved by the Assembly of Heads of States and Government in 2012, AfCFTA [10] is one of AU’s flagship projects of Agenda 2063 [11]. All three candidates acknowledged that intra-African trade falls short when compared to trade volumes in other regions.
Randriamandrato suggested that intra-African trade could be bolstered by encouraging small scale trading within states. Meanwhile Youssouf sees the growing population in Africa as an advantage that can be leveraged to create opportunities, particularly in the agri-education sector to add value to raw materials such as cocoa.
Odinga aims to tackle the global financial system, which he believes has been “unfair” to Africa due to their lending systems that impose higher interest rates on African countries compared to other nations. The Kenyan politician emphasizes on the need to improve intra-African transport infrastructure and the energy sector to enhance AfCFTA.
How will the candidates promote African solutions to African conflicts?
Providing African solutions to African conflicts can be realised by focusing on the root causes of conflict and creating spaces for dialogues at different levels, says Odinga. The former AU high representative for infrastructure development[12] added that if given a chance, the AU’s “silencing the guns” agenda[13] can be realised by 2035, despite AU’s failed attempt to do so by 2020.
The AU Constitutive Act [14] provision of non-interference and non-indifference presents a limitation for potential African solutions to conflict. Madagascan diplomat, Randriamandrato emphasized the need for member states to re-evaluate these concepts and its limitations. Conflicts between African nations, say Ethiopia and Somalia must be mediated by the AU or fellow Africans and not by foreign partners like Turkey if the union must be useful, he reiterated.
Youssouf thinks he is the right candidate to spearhead African initiatives in proactively resolving conflicts. He suggested that the continent must lessen its dependence on foreign partners in peace initiatives and work towards reducing bottlenecks in the management of AU Peace Funds[15].
Advocating for permanent seats at the UN Security Council (UNSC)
Odinga stated that having two permanent seats with veto powers for Africa at the UNSC is “a must” and he will get it if elected. Randriamandrato echoed a similar view reiterating that member states must “speak with one voice” on the choice of who will represent Africa in the UNSC.
These remarks resonate with recent calls by African states for representation in the UNSC. Calls for a more inclusive and representative security council were made in the September 2024 UN General Assembly as African leaders demanded an end to the longstanding inequality in the council’s composition[16].
How will the candidates rekindle the spirit of Africanism?
During the 2023 summit, the current Chairperson Mahamed Faki lamented the decline of Pan-African values, questioning member states, “Where is our Pan-Africanism? Where is our solidarity?”[17]. The legacy of Pan-Africanism in ending colonialism and promoting peace remains as essential as ever for reclaiming citizen agency in the continent[18].
Youssouf is convinced that under his leadership Africa will gain respect on the global stage. He plans to leverage the AU’s new role in the G20 to strategically reposition the continent and rekindle the spirit of Africanism. He attributes African disunity, in part, to the absence of a recognized African payment system and a common currency that can be easily convertible.
Randriamandrato blames the decline of Pan-Africanism on the dominant role of external actors, questioning why there are still so many military bases in Africa, “this should be a thing of the past.”
Drawing a comparison with China, 79-year-old Odinga believes that the power to rekindle the spirit of Africanism lies in the hands of the youth, considering the continent’s young population. He emphasized the need to create conditions that would “retain and engage the youth” in Africa.
How candidates will reinvigorate and implement the stalled Kagame’s reforms
Institutional reforms at the AU is urgent, given the role the union play in driving Agenda 2063. All three candidates indicated that the biggest problem in the AU reform process [19]is financing. Overreliance on external partners mean the union can only act in situations foreign partners are willing to fund.
To ensure financial sustainability, the AU assembly 2016 decision imposed a 0.2% levy on eligible imports from non-member states. However this has not been universally implemented, even in cases where funds are being collected member states have not always remitted them in full[20]. Youssouf says he will be keen on this if elected as chairperson. The Djiboutian diplomat also thinks the Pan African Parliament needs to become a legislative organ, as it should be.
Randriamandrato hopes to coordinate the different organs of the AU, emphasizing that “they must agree and work hard” to ensure effectiveness in the reform process. Meanwhile Odinga proposes exploring “alternative means of funding using African resources” to secure sustainable financing.
Conclusion
The Chairperson plays an important role in the African Union and the Mjadala Afrika debate is undoubtedly useful. The AU must be lauded for maintaining a certain degree of transparency in the process, including uploading the CVs and vision statements of all candidates on their website[21]. The elections will take place during the February 2025 AU Summit.
To further enhance transparency and efficiency in the process the panel of eminent Africans[22] could encourage member states to update their citizens of the process and if possible gauge public opinions (at the national level) on which candidate their state should vote for. This would help connect the union to African citizenry, an area that has been identified as needing improvements in the reform process.
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