President William Ruto will depart for Addis Ababa for the 37th African Union (AU) Summit of Heads of State and Government. This year’s theme is Building Resilient Education Systems for Africa’s 21st Century Human Capital.
President Ruto is slated to address education inequalities that help 98 million African children without access to formal education.
In his capacity as the chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), the President will also deliver a report on the strides the continent has made in mitigating the climate crisis.
This includes the Nairobi Declaration, agreed upon during the first-ever Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi last September. The document is Africa’s authoritative blueprint for addressing the climate change crisis and proposes reform of the global financial system as well as the Multilateral Development Banks.
The Head of State will also participate in a mini-East African Community Summit focusing on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other regional concerns. Additionally, he will hold meetings with fellow Heads of State, heads of international agencies, and business leaders.
Ruto joins the summit right on as Azimio leader Raila Odinga announced his bid to assume the chairmanship of the African Union (AU).
Raila made the announcement Thursday, declaring interest in succeeding Moussa Faki Mahamat whose term comes to an end in July this year. Notably behind the former Prime Minister is ex-Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, who subsequently declared his support for Raila.
“I am prepared to take on this challenge and offer myself for service. I have requested my friend, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, to continue advocating for my candidacy and engage with other leaders,” Odinga stated after a meeting with the former president in Nairobi.
President Ruto and Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi have endorsed Raila’s candidature which could potentially reshape Kenya’s political landscape.