Department FrontPage

The African Union (AU) and the Federal Republic of Germany have reaffirmed their long-standing partnership for sustainable development, peace, and prosperity in Africa during the AU–Germany Negotiations on Development Cooperation, held on 6–7 November 2025 at the African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters in Addis Ababa.

The African Union Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, H.E. Prof. Gaspard Banyankimbona, is leading a six-person delegation to Wuhan, China, from November 19-21, 2025, to participate in the China-Africa Innovation for Sustainable Development Conference.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, this morning received H.E. Gedion Timothewos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

They discussed the evolving regional landscape & the imperative for the AU & Regional Economic Communities to continue playing a central role in preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention, humanitarian response, & sustainable development.

Africa faces growing financing pressures as rising debt service costs severely constrain development. By end-2024, public debt had reached USD 1.815 trillion, while annual debt servicing climbed to USD 163 billion, leaving 57% of Africans living in countries where debt payments exceed health or education spending. These escalating obligations not only erode fiscal space but are also directly reinforced by Africa’s persistently high cost of capital a systemic penalty that inflates borrowing costs regardless of fundamentals.