President William Ruto has been appointed as the African Union (AU) Champion for Institutional Reform by the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
Ruto was appointed on February 17, 2024, during the presidential dialogue on global financial reforms meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The head of state by will be replacing President Paul Kagame of Rwanda who is set to step down from the role after serving for seven years.
While attending the presidential dialogue, Ruto stressed that the need for reform of the global financial system is a fundamental and urgent Agenda for the African continent and the entire global south.
“The reform of the global financial system is an urgent agenda for Africa and, indeed, the entire Global South.
These countries access funding from multilateral financial institutions at a much higher cost than others in the Global North,” he stated in a statement.
Ruto at AU
In his new role, President Ruto will be mandated with the responsibility of completing the Comprehensive Institutional Reform Initiative that kicked off in 2016 and providing political leadership and vision.
The reforms involve revitalizing the functioning, structure, and focus of the African Union Commission (AUC), AU organs, and other specialized agencies.
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This will in turn boost the effectiveness and efficiency managing of AU Programs.
Ruto jetted out of the country on February 16 where he first attended the AU’s Peace and Security Council Mini-Summit on the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The meeting was attended by Presidents Kagame, Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa) Felix Tshisekedi (DRC), João Lourenço (Angola) and the AUC chair Moussa Faki
President Ruto has been elected to replace Kagame at the position days after he met his Rwandan counterpart on Monday, February 12, in Dubai, UAE.
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The head of state revealed that among the issues they discussed with Kagame was regional peace and security.
In addition, the two Heads of States state discussed trade and investment between Kenya and Uganda.
Ruto’s party endorses Raila for AU job
Meanwhile, President Ruto-led United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party has formally endorsed Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga’s bid for the for the Chairperson role of the African Union Commission (AUC).
Speaking during a press conference on Saturday, February 17, UDA secretary general Cleophas Malala described the opposition chief as a luminary in African politics, stating that he deserves to be the next AUC chairperson given his vast experience in an array of fields.
“Mr. Odinga has been at the forefront and among the greatest leaders who have championed the entrenchment of the tenets of democracy and the rule of law across the African continent,” said Malala.
Raila declared his bid to vie for the role in a press statement on February 15, flanked by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo who endorsed him for the job.
