Geingob satisfied with progress at 31st AU Summit

WINDHOEK, 04 JULY – President Hage Geingob has said the 31st Summit of African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government made satisfactory progress towards the completion of the institutional reform of the AU.
Geingob, who made the remarks on Monday in his vote of thanks address, said the summit managed to reduce the union’s 2019 budget.
Geingob’s statement, which was availed to the media on Tuesday, noted that the summit has reached an agreement on AU-European Union (EU) post Cotonou agreement period.
The Namibian Head of State said the summit also endorsed the candidature of Louise Mushikiwabo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Rwanda, for the post of Secretary General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie.
“All this was made possible thanks to the spirit of unity that prevailed in our deliberations and to the contributions of all delegates,” he said.
The summit was held in Nouakchott, Mauritania on 01 and 02 July 2018.
It also focused on the status reports by the AU Chairperson and Rwandan President, Paul Kagame on the implementation of the AU Reforms, while it was expected to also look at the progress made towards the realisation of the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA).
If ratified, the ACFTA would result in the largest free-trade area in terms of participating countries since the formation of the World Trade Organisation in 1994.
The summit was held under the theme ‘Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.’
NAMPA