Nairobi, Kenya – President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, has called on the African Union (AU) to critically evaluate its progress and adopt transformative strategies to meet the dynamic needs of the African continent.
Speaking at a two-day retreat in Nairobi, Kenya, where AU leaders gathered to discuss strategies for revitalizing the union, President Mahama emphasized the need for self-reflection and decisive action.
“As we stand at a crossroads of opportunity and challenge, we must critically reflect on our progress and recalibrate our strategies to meet the evolving needs of our continent,” he stated.
President Mahama praised the AU’s reform agenda as a necessary and courageous step toward reshaping the continent’s future.
“The reform agenda of the African Union is a bold and necessary initiative aimed at transforming our continental body into a more efficient, financially independent, and effective institution,” he noted.
While acknowledging the AU’s achievements in areas such as economic integration and peacebuilding, President Mahama urged leaders to adopt bold reforms to address Africa’s pressing issues.
“The African Union as our collective institution has achieved remarkable milestones in its journey. From spearheading the African Continental Free Trade Area to advancing peace and security through initiatives such as the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and The African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), the AU has demonstrated its potential as a unifying force. However, the challenges we face today demand more than just incremental progress. They require some bold and transformative reforms,” he remarked.
Highlighting Africa’s unique challenges, President Mahama identified youth unemployment, food insecurity, climate change, governance deficits, and regional conflicts as critical issues requiring immediate attention.
“Our continent faces a unique set of challenges: youth unemployment, food insecurity, climate change, governance deficits, and conflicts in many regions,” he said.
He urged the AU to evolve into a more agile, efficient, and impactful institution capable of addressing these challenges effectively.
“The African Union must evolve to become more agile, efficient, and impactful in addressing these new challenges. The AU must streamline its decision-making processes to ensure that they are timely and results-oriented,” President Mahama added.
He further emphasized the need to eliminate inefficiencies and clarify roles within the organization to enhance its capacity to serve the continent better.
“Bureaucratic inefficiencies undermine the confidence of our citizens and international partners. Overlapping mandates hinder effective decision-making. By streamlining the AU commissions, clarifying roles, and eliminating redundancies, we can establish a more agile organization that is better equipped to address the evolving needs of our continent,” he opined.
President Mahama also stressed the importance of efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the AU’s operations, ensuring that every resource is used to benefit the people of Africa.
“Efficiency must be the guiding principle in how we conduct our affairs, ensuring that our policies and programs translate into real change for our people. We must adopt mechanisms that prioritize accountability, transparency, and value for money, ensuring that every resource is maximized for the benefit of the African people,” he asserted.
The retreat, attended by leaders from all AU member states, sought to develop actionable plans to make Africa more self-reliant and improve the living standards of its citizens.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh (#RomeoWrites
) / Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 
