Mr. Chairman of the Executive Council,

Madam Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission,

Commissioners,

Ambassadors, members of the Permanent Representatives Committee,

Mr. Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa,

Mr President of the African Development Bank Group, Heads of the Organ of the African Union,

Executive Secretaries/ Secretaries General of the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to express, on behalf of the African Union Commission and on my own behalf, our warm gratitude to the highest authorities of Ghana, first and foremost, the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo as well as 'to the Government and brotherly people of Ghana, for accepting to host this 45th Session of the Executive Council and for all the facilities made available to us for its success. There is nothing surprising as we are all immersed in the legendary tradition of welcome accorded by this great people of Ghana.

In the political history of Africa, Ghana resonates with a permanent symbolic charge, never diminished by the passing of time. The spirit and ever-living memory of the hero of Pan-Africanism, who was Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, this giant of African thought, surround and inspire us, every time we tread this land, where he was born and emulated by many until today.

I remain convinced that our meeting, taking place in the shadow of this icon of the renaissance of Africa, united in the central values of self- affirmation, self-improvement and perseverance, will enable us, ultimately, to make a new significant step towards “the Africa we want”.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The end of your deliberations work at the previous session, last February, was marked by a set of Decisions, adopted on various issues. Their

implementation was primarily assigned to the Commission and the Permanent Representatives Committee.

It is my duty to report to you on the state of implementation of these Decisions. The spirit that is imbued in us, in this regard, inspires all our other observations.

In anticipation of the Report of the PRC, which presents the advantage of a systematic consideration of all the concerns of our Union and whose content will be presented to you by its Chairperson, whose dynamism, dedication and efficiency I salute, I would like, to briefly, highlight some salient points.

The Draft budget for the year 2025, submitted to you, has been carefully prepared upstream, using all the skills to contribute to it. The level of statutory contributions from Member States, capped at 200 million US Dollars, instead of the 250 million, set by your Council in 2023, has certainly taken into account the cash flow pressure faced by most of our Member States.

However, this reduction of the budget poses two structural problems: first, the increase in the dependence of the AU on our Partners, which is also regularly criticized, including within your honourable Council. The second problem concerns the consistency of the AU policy, very ambitious, in terms of integration and development, with its real financing capacities. Since funding from Partners is very volatile, as evidenced by the rate of disbursement of funds, lower than commitments, it seems important and appropriate to address this dual issue and to express our views on it.

Excellency Chairman,

The operationalization of the Peace Fund and the adoption of the principle of financing African Peacekeeping Missions from sustainable resources are in line with the significant sectoral progress. The amplification of this progress could well, in the long term, usher in a new era of significant reduction in our dependence on international Partners as regards the demands of peace and the financing of Peace Support Operations.

The sustainability of this Fund will depend on the quality of its Governance, an Investment policy that is both prudent and effective and more importantly a Policy of transparency, intended to encourage favourable responses to calls made to the various contributors.

Among these contributors, the staff of the AU and in particular of the Commission, must already be prominently listed. Indeed, the Staff Association recently launched a campaign for voluntary contributions to the Peace Fund. I warmly welcome this act, the symbolism of which testifies to the importance of the security issue on our Continent and which eloquently indicates that peace deserves the sacrifices of all.

In the same vein, I would like to recall that during the launch of the Second Decade of Agenda 2063, your Council decided to set up a Fund to support the implementation of said Decade. This Decision calls for particular attention and requires concrete measures to break with the terrible paradox of multiplying the establishment of entities without substantial implementation measures.

Obviously the management of all these efforts depend on a series of questions, at the top of which is that of internal and external audits. A more rigorous consideration is required, here, so that the inadequacies highlighted in the Audit Reports are better addressed and appropriate responses provided.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

With regard to the participation of the AU in the G20, it is worth mentioning that the Draft text of the G20 Policy, highlighting the priorities of the AU and its immense potential for contribution is now available. In consultation between the Office of the Current Chairman and the Commission, the AU Sherpa and sub-Sherpa were designated.

The African Development Bank and the African Export-Import Bank, Afreximbank, have expressed their willingness to support the financing of the action of Union representatives at the G20 meetings.

This, obviously, should in no way exempt our Organization from taking its own responsibilities in this general exercise of mobilizing financial and human resources. The credibility and effectiveness of our Organization are at stake.

The AU Theme for the year 2025 is entitled “Justice for Africans and the Persons of African descent through Reparations”. The problem of reparations owed to Africans, from the Continent and the Diaspora, is not new. It is consubstantial with the OAU which had always raised it. So this is work that has been going on for a long time. It consists of developing a political programme and evaluating the problem of reparations from its

main angle, that of the damage caused to Africa through the Transatlantic slave trade, slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism.

This theme, whose relevance and timeliness are beyond any doubt, is a continuation of the International Conference held here, in Ghana last year, in 2023, on the theme “Building a United Front to Promote the cause of Justice and the Payment of Reparations to Africans.”

The theme proposed for the year 2025, therefore, aims at giving greater visibility to this “United Front” for greater effectiveness in this quest considered as an inalienable right. It behoves you to assess, in this regard, the Draft Strategy submitted for your consideration in order to respond to our legitimate concerns and aspirations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In accordance with your Decision, adopted last February, on the Situation in the PanAfrican Parliament (PAP), elections were conducted to fill vacant positions within the Bureau. Furthermore, work on the operational framework, defining the respective roles of the Bureau of PAP and the Secretariat has actually begun and a Progress Report is available.

Unfortunately, the audit exercise of the Board of External Auditors was hampered by technical issues, including the absence of a budget line in the current budget. These good results attest to a happy return to the normal functioning of this important institution of our Union.

To conclude on this point, I would like, thanks to this normalisation of the life of the PAP, to urge the Member States, which have not yet done so, through your Council, to sign and ratify the Maputo Protocol so that finally the PAP enters into full functionality, characteristic of all Parliaments.

If the PAP has regained functional serenity, this is not yet the case at the African Union Commission on Nuclear Energy, AFCONE, where the Executive Secretary continues to lock himself in a regrettable posture of defiance of the authority established, by refusing to recognise the links of subordination, which bind him to all the hierarchical levels, on which he depends. The disciplinary procedure against him has been completed and the separation will be recorded. We have no intention of accepting any tolerance for blatant violations of our procedural Rules.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The actions for the operationalisation of the African Humanitarian Agency (AHA) focused mainly on the proposed adoption of its structure submitted for your consideration and approval. The initial staff requirement to be recruited has been determined, accompanied by an estimate of the overall necessary cost for the effective launch of its activities, whose total deployment is spread over five years.

I would like to make a strong appeal to Member States and all the Partners to honour the contribution pledges they solemnly made. The establishment of this Agency will increase the effectiveness of our Humanitarian aid mechanism. From this rostrum, I wish to thank the Republic of South Africa for its voluntary contribution to the AU to help it better cope with the many humanitarian emergencies it faces.

As for the Centre of Excellence for Inclusive Markets in Africa, AIMEC, the Headquarters Agreement with the host country, the Republic of Tunisia, was signed in 2022. Its structure, considered by the appropriate authorities, is submitted to your examination for approval. This Centre will play an important role in leading economic initiatives, promoting businesses and partnerships, thus forming part of a relationship of optimal complementarity with the AfCFTA.

The operationalization of this Centre, the initial cost of which has already been determined, will be spread over time and will be carried out in two phases. The Republic of Tunisia is committed to providing support for the operationalization of this Centre. May it find here the expression of the gratitude of the AU.

How can we not mention the state of preparations for our participation in this major event of the United Nations Summit of the Future, scheduled for September this year, in New York. As you know, its major theme, “Governing Artificial Intelligence for the benefit of humanity”, implicitly underscores the ambivalence of Artificial Intelligence, the uses of which can also contradict commonly accepted ethical principles. You know as much as I do, if not more, how sensitive this dimension is, with regard to our own cultures, beliefs and values. In a spirit of critical vigilance, the African Union has worked out two important documents, namely the African Digital Compact and the Continental Strategy for Artificial Intelligence.

After consideration and adoption by your Council, these texts will serve as advocacy instruments in favour of the African Common Position in the

negotiations leading to the final development of the Global Digital Compact.

It is important for me to conclude my remarks with an appeal to the Member States to promote sporting activities on our Continent. Is there still a need to stress the role that Sport plays in bringing nations and peoples together. We all praised Ghana for the quality of the organization of the 13th edition of the African Games, last year, in 2023. I would like, therefore, to call upon the Member States to increase their political, financial and educational investments in sporting activities, a quasi lever magic for the development of youths and the influence of Nations.

My most ardent wish here is that we succeed in making the next African Games in 2027, in Egypt, the great moment of fulfillment of the dream of our youths in this area. Our vast mobilization of support for the success of the YouthConnekt event, which will be organized in Rwanda, in October, will be no less a gift to the youths of Africa and the world. May the sporting, entrepreneurial and innovative African youths find here my best wishes for the success of such great ventures.

I also seize this opportunity to wish our Sportsmen and women success in the Olympic Games to be held in Paris this month.

I thank you for your kind attention.