Vice President Kashim Shettima on Saturday joined other African leaders at the opening of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The summit witnessed the formal handover of the AU chairmanship to President Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi for the 2026 term, succeeding President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço of Angola.
No fewer than 49 heads of state and government, alongside leaders of global and regional institutions and development partners, attended the opening session. Among them were United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Delivering his welcome address, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali urged African leaders to unite in driving the continent’s socio-economic transformation. He highlighted Ethiopia’s investments in smart agriculture and climate-friendly energy projects as part of efforts to secure a sustainable future for its over 130 million population.
In his remarks, UN Secretary-General Guterres reaffirmed the global body’s solidarity with Africa, describing the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union as rooted in respect, dialogue and shared commitment to justice and equality.
He praised the African Group’s support at the UN and pledged that Africa’s progress toward peace, security and sustainable development would remain a priority.
Outgoing AU Chairperson, President Lourenço of Angola, presented a scorecard of his tenure, identifying water and sanitation, climate change, peace and security as central priorities for the summit themed: “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”
Lourenço said the AU had made progress in promoting inclusive growth, critical infrastructure development and human capital advancement. He stressed the need to further strengthen the Union’s mechanisms for security and conflict resolution to address emerging threats across the continent.
Following the leaders’ remarks and the official assumption of office by President Ndayishimiye, the summit proceeded into a closed-door session after the traditional family photograph.
Deji Elumoye
