Distinguished Ministers,
Colleagues and partners,
Good morning.
It is a pleasure to join you today and to open this important discussion.
Allow me to warmly acknowledge:
H.E. Hon. Betty Amongi Akena of Uganda,
H.E. Hon. Mary Navicha of Malawi,
All the Ministers and Distinguished representatives of our Member States
H.E. Ambassador Amma A. Twum-Amoah,
H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Edrees,
Representatives from the World Bank, Eager project
Ms. Cécile Mazzacurati of UNFPA,
All our valued partners here present.
Distinguished colleagues, partners, and our outstand-ing Fellows,
Good morning.
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the African Union Media Fellowship – Cohort 3.0.
Let me begin by warmly congratulating the 18 excep-tional journalists selected for this cohort. Your achievement is remarkable. You were chosen from a pool of more than 100,000 applicants from across Af-rica and the diaspora. This reflects not only your pro-fessional excellence, but also your commitment to tell-ing Africa’s story with depth, integrity, and purpose.
Mes Chères Filles, Sœurs, Mères et Collègues,
À l'occasion de la Journée internationale de la Femme, je tiens à exprimer ma sincère reconnaissance aux Femmes remarquables qui contribuent chaque jour au travail et à la mission de la Commission de l'Union Africaine.
Today, 8 March 2026, we at the African Union join the global community in commemorating International Women’s Day — an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women and girls across our continent and to reaffirm our commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H. E Mahmoud Ali Youssouf made a call to action to strengthen political leadership, mobilize sustainable investments, and implement integrated, climate-resilient solutions towards elevating water and sanitation as Africa's continental priority for 2026.
“Together, we will advance the Africa Water Vision 2063 and Policy, which is central to our commitment to Agenda 2063, and acceleration of industrialization and sustainable development across our beautiful continent, Africa.”