Soon reaching the end of its second decade of existence, the African Union has come of age. It is useful to combine, in a dual retrospective and forward-looking perspective, the assessment of the progress made since 2002 as well as the prospects that are emerging for the future of our Continent.

This day of 9 September will always be full of memories but also of expectations. Remembering not only the first steps of this long-held political project of African unity, but also memory of the achievements made on the road to this unity.

The successes we have achieved can only be mentioned here in the shadow of the challenges, which are many and diverse, that are piling up on our journey. They compel us to permanently reconfigure our action strategy. These challenges keep on the alert our critical capacity to spot unwanted bifurcations in time. Above all, they call upon our creative genius, our ability to innovate and to face the uncertainties of the next day victoriously.

One of these challenges, not to say the main challenge, which emerged in the world, as early as February 2020, took the form of a formidable pandemic, that of COVID-19, appalling by its strong capacity to challenge the classic prevention and treatment Protocols developed by research laboratories, and by its power to kill. This challenge, which became central to the disruption caused to our economies, determined our leaders, with the help of our various partners, to redirect our commitments to the Post-COVID economic recovery.

But before, in the heat of the fight against this pandemic, our leaders took political and technical measures, whose operational effectiveness was confirmed through the joint action of AfricaCDC and units based in the Regional Economic Communities and Member States of the Union. This action continues through the call for the vaccination of our peoples with a view to attaining community vaccine protection.

The general panorama of political life on our Continent has been greatly shaken up by political instabilities resulting from Unconstitutional changes, but above all from repeated and ever more threatening attacks by Jihadist terrorists operating in vast areas of the Continent.

What to do in the face of all these challenges? What are the prospects for our Continent in this environment of difficulties, whose tenacity and permanent nature we all fear? Arm ourselves with resolutions and ingenuity to find ever more appropriate solutions that guarantee our progress towards the execution of the flagship projects contained in our programmatic compass that is Agenda 2063, on the other hand.

It is within the framework of our constant efforts, our will to reject the fatalism of despair, that we must maintain the momentum for the attainment of the major objective set by our Founding Fathers of the OAU, of which the AU is the heir, with a fervour that has never dampened since its inception in 2002.

Happy African Union Day to all.