Luanda - The new president of the African Union Commission (AUC), Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, was formally presented, on Wednesday (19) in Luanda, to the diplomatic corps accredited in Angola, after his inauguration on March 13.
Ali Yossouf took office in a ceremony led by the acting president of the African Union, João Lourenço, at the headquarters of the continental organization in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
In the 7th and final voting round, he obtained 33 votes, which guaranteed the 2/3 majority required by the organization's rules.
Also running for the position were Raila Odinga, former Kenya Prime Minister, and Richard Randriamandrato, Madagascar's former Minister of Foreign Affairs.
On the occasion, the Angola minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte Antonio, congratulated the Djibouti diplomat on assuming his new role, wishing him and his entire team success and hard work in achieving the objectives of the AU's Charter and the challenges facing the continent.
According to the Angolan leader, AU has chosen the theme “Justice for Africans and Afro-descendants through Compensation” for the year 2025, and with a view to its implementation, Angola’s mandate will focus on “Infrastructure and Human Capital: Key Factors for Africa’s Integral Development”.
He defended the importance of financing the infrastructure of African states with structural projects that promote regional and inter-regional interconnectivity, namely the Lobito Corridor Project and the prospect of interconnection with the Tanzania/TAZARA railways, enabling a multimodal connection between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
He also highlighted the major Cairo-Cape Interconnection Project, which will facilitate the flow and transportation of raw materials and processed products to the international market.
The session also included an update on the AU Development Agency - New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD) Program, given by the Executive Director of this institution, Nardos Bekele-Thomas.
Born on September 2, 1965, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf is a career diplomat who previously served in the Government of Djibouti as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
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