This year, the theme for the 48th Ordinary Session of the African Union’s Executive Council is striking: ‘Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.’ Behind the measured diplomatic language lies a fundamental repositioning of how Africa intends to negotiate its place in a resource-scarce, multipolar world. Sputnik Africa was present at the event and engaged key African dignitaries about the outcomes, the stakes, and what this all means for the future of the continent. Kassi Carl Manlan, Chief Partnerships & Business Development Officer for the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa, emphasized the importance of collaboration among African Union member states to address common challenges.
“This [collaboration among member states] is what the African Union has been working on from the time it was created, even before when we had the Organization for African Unity. It requires individual and collective forces to come together for a common goal [...] So, what we have to continue to do is dialogue,” Manlan noted.
The Foreign Minister of Zimbabwe, Amon Murwira, stressed the need for reform in the United Nations to better represent Africa and his country's belief in multilateralism, as well as Zimbabwe’s BRICS membership application.
“When the United Nations was formed in 1945, all of Africa was a colony of some colonial power and therefore did not reflect… The United Nations as we speak today does not reflect that reality. Therefore, as a good organization and member-state driven, it should always be reformed in order to reflect the reality on the ground [...] We are encouraged to join organizations that stand for peace and human progress, and BRICS is one of them,” he noted.
While speaking to Sputnik Africa, Lesotho’s foreign minister, Lejone Mpotjoane, addressed the mounting concerns over the neutrality of the ICC and Africa’s financial liberation.
“Africa is suffering historical injustices in the financial systems and financial architecture. African countries are borrowing at a higher rate from international financial institutions compared to Western countries and the developed world. This brings a huge disadvantage to economic development in Africa. Instead of developing our economies, we are financing the debt. This makes it very difficult for African economies to develop. Therefore, as Africans, we have to consider alternatives. As African countries, we have made a proposal at the United Nations for the reform of the international financial architecture. That's one. And two, the debt burden that has been placed on a number of African countries has to be revised [...] Africa is always [being] targeted. As I said, we have historical injustices in Africa, and I believe the justice system in Africa should also be [strengthened].” Lesotho FM highlighted
This episode also features:
Timothy Musa Kabba, Sierra Leone’s minister of foreign affairs
Dhananjay Ramful, Mauritius’ minister of foreign affairs
Dr. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, UN Assistant Secretary General & Director General of the African Risk Capacity Group
King Robinson Tambe Ayuk, Secretary General of the Pan African Council of Traditional & Customary Authorities
Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi, Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya
Christine Christopher, Tanzanian Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Student
Discover more insights from our outstanding guests on the Pan-African Frequency podcast, proudly brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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