Women empowerment, development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063, security crises and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa will dominate the agenda of the two-day African Union (AU) Summit at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The 24th AU Summit, to be attended by heads of state and government including President Jacob Zuma, starts today (Friday).
The theme of the summit is The Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063, which was launched two years ago to transform Africa within 50 years into a developed continent.
Speaking to the media from Addis Ababa, International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said for two days delegates would also consider the progress report of the AU Commission on Agenda 2063; the report of the Commission on the Ebola crisis and the report of the Conference of Ministers of Finance and Economy on the alternative sources of financing for the AU.
The leaders will also consider the report of the Peace and Security Council on its activities and the state of peace and security in Africa, and the report of the Commission on the establishment of the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, among others.
Nkoana-Mashabane said the AU had chosen the theme because the majority of citizens on the continent were women.
“More than 52% of the population of this continent are females. Women and children bear the brunt … of wars and instability,” she said.
The summit will seek to narrow the gender gap in the key areas of education, health, employment, leadership and representation on the continent.
Development, Ebola and female empowerment high on AU summit agenda
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