President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Thursday for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to participate in the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government.
According to a statement from his special adviser on media and public, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu will collaborate with other African leaders during the event, contributing to discussions on the institutional reforms of the AU.
The statement also noted that the President will preside over an Extraordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, scheduled to coincide with the AU Summit.
What the Presidency is Saying
The statement said:
- “President Bola Tinubu will, on Thursday, February 15, depart Abuja for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to participate in the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).
- “The theme of this year’s summit is ‘Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa’.
- “The President will join other African leaders in high-level meetings on institutional reforms of the African Union; peace and security; specific thematic issues such as climate change, as well as modalities of participation and priorities of the continental body in the G20.
- “On the margins of the summit, President Tinubu will also attend an extraordinary summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in his capacity as the Chairman of the regional body.
- “President Tinubu will be accompanied on the trip by some ministers and other top government officials, and he is expected to return to Abuja following the conclusion of the summit.”
What you should know
- The 37th African Union (AU) Summit is scheduled for 15-16 February 2024.
- During the Summit, African Heads of States and Governments will deliberate and decide on several policies and programmes of the AU.
- It is expected that the assembly will discuss the withdrawal of some West African countries such as Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali from the West African bloc, ECOWAS and other pressing issues facing the continent.
- In addition, the summit is expected to consolidate discussion around AFCTA, a trade agreement that will give African countries the integrated market system to move goods and services freely within borders.
