NEWS JUST IN: Ruto Succeeds Kagame in Top AU Role.
NEWS JUST IN: Ruto Succeeds Kagame in Top AU Role: President William Ruto was on Saturday, February 17, appointed as African Union’s Champion for Institutional Reform.
In his new role, Ruto will succeed his Rwandese counterpart Paul Kagame who will step down from the role after serving for seven years.
He is tasked with providing political leadership as well as completing the comprehensive Institutional Reform initiative.
The appointing body, AU’s Assembly of Heads of State and Government, further tasked Ruto to revitalise the structure, functions and objectives of the union’s organs, including the African Union Commission, which Azimio’s Raila Odinga aims to chair.
This role was created in 2016 after African leaders saw the need to drive institutional reforms to achieve economic growth and development.
The leaders subsequently appointed Kagame to lead the process and ensure agencies become more effective in managing AU’s programmes.
The statement read, “The AU Reform Agenda must therefore be a priority and we must interrogate and conduct the process to ensure that structurally, the roles of the bureau, summits, committees, regional caucuses, secretariat and commission are duly rationalised to give Africa a fit-for-purpose continental governance body with the capacity to engage globally.”
President Ruto has urged other African leaders to donate power to the AU Commission on matters trade, regional and global security to benefit the continent.
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