At this morning's AU Special Envoys & Representatives Retreat in Aswan, Egypt, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, reaffirmed Africa’s resolve to lead with action, responsibility, and sovereignty in addressing shared challenges.

“Africa must no longer react—it must propose, initiate, and guide. This is the Pan-Africanism of solutions,” he said.

He outlined three priorities:

Complete AU reform to build a merit-based and accountable Union.

Reposition Africa’s peace and security architecture to respond to hybrid and transnational threats.

Demand Africa’s rightful place in global governance and UN reform.

He concluded by saying, “Africa will not resign—it will act, invest, and assume its destiny.”