VP Shettima Attends Opening Of 39th AU Summit

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Saturday joined other leaders across Africa and beyond at the opening of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, has taken over as the new Chairman of the African Union for 2026, succeeding the outgone Chairman, President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço of Angola.

Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali at the summit with the theme, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” emphasized the need for African leaders to be unanimous in their resolve to champion the socio-economic transformation of the continent.

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres expressed African Union’s support and solidarity with the global body, describing the partnership with Africa as “always the unwavering, decisive support of the African Group in the UN on issue after issue, initiative after initiative, in the shared struggle for justice and equality.”

The outgone Chairperson of the African Union, President Lourenço of Angola, said the AU, under his leadership and the cooperation of member states, has made significant progress in enhancing inclusive growth, provision of critical infrastructure, and human capital development, among others.

Besides the remarks by leaders representing regional blocs and development partners at the meeting, the plenary witnessed the assumption of office of the new Chairperson of the African Union, President Ndayishimiye of the Republic of Burundi.