The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, will be stepping down from his role as leader of the African Union (AU) reform process.
The leader of the East African country, who took up the position in 2016, was working with some experts from across Africa to ensure the AU had a smooth-running system.
The decision to exit was made known during a meeting with the bloc’s reform team at Urugwiro village in the Rwanda capital of Kigali.
The hybrid meeting, which had the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) chair, Moussa Faki Mahamat, in attendance discussed implementation of the reform process, importance of sustaining the bloc’s process towards financially-sustainable member states.
“I want to thank you for your continued participation in this effort to carry out a reform of continental affairs and body, and more importantly, I wish to thank you for your dedication over the past eight years,” President Kagame said.
“Our work has made a positive difference, I believe. When we started the AU was nearly bankrupt. There was no guarantee that the reform effort would be any more successful than the previous attempts,” he added.
“Today, the Peace Fund stands at nearly 400 million and almost all member states are paying their dues.”
With the African Union anticipated to play a leading role in promoting Africa’s ambitious Agenda 2063 vision of inclusive economic growth and development, African leaders determined in 2016 that institutional reforms were both essential and required.
The Heads of State Summit then gave President Kagame the order to spearhead the initiative.
