President William Ruto was appointed as the next Champion for the African Union (AU) Institutional Reforms.
Ruto will take over from President Paul Kagame of Rwanda who has served in that position since 2017.
Deputy President (DP) Rigathi Gachagua congratulated the president on his new role adding that the appointment affirmed that Ruto is one the most forward-looking, focused, visionary and highly transformative leaders on the Continent.
The AU Champions head of states is mandated to push the continental agenda at global levels.
Apart from Ruto’s new role, there are other champions serving in different areas for Africa to occupy its rightful position as a key player in the global arena.
According to AU, the Champions are chosen by their peers to lead the process in focal thematic areas that will drive growth and development and lead to the achievement of Africa’s Agenda.
Ruto News Roles
As one of the Champions, William Ruto will play a key role in driving the activities of AU to ensure the continent achieves its global goals.
The Champions leaders strengthen collaboration and team spirit at a continental level as it increases interaction between Heads of State and Government
Besides, they also promote ownership and involvement of African Union programmes and activities at the highest level.
AU explains that the Champions facilitate peer learning and review.
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The AU Champions garner political support and advocate for AU activities at the highest level possible, promoting political buy-in as well as full ownership by Member States, thereby facilitating the implementation of key programmes of the Union.
In addition, the champions submit progress reports on their respective areas of focus during AU Summits.
They update the Union members on their achievements and share their challenges for further consideration and recommendations by the Assembly.
This, they note is an innovative way of enhancing the implementation of Africa’s Agenda 2063.
AU states that tangible results have been realized because of the commitment of the Champions to their respective areas of focus.
This includes the successful launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in 2019.
Kagame Achievements
According to AU, Kagame made a lot of progress during his reign as Champion of the Institutional Reforms of AU.
He oversaw the rationalization of the leadership portfolios and increased focus on sustainable financing and improved financial management.
Also, Kagame implemented the prioritization of AU programmes and division of labor between the AU and Regional Economic Communities (RECs)a.
The Rwandan President ensured increasing targets for women and youth representation and participation in the institutions of the AU.
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Nonetheless, only Heads of State and Government in office can be selected as AU Champions.
Being a champion or leader provides a unique platform for steering the continent towards achieving a common goal.
It creates visibility for Africa’s development priorities at regional and continental level and promotes the continent in the international scene.
Champions Areas of Focus
The areas of focus by the Champions include women and gender development, peace and security, economic and political integration, migration, ending child marriage in Africa, agriculture (food security and nutrition), maritime security, safety and development in Africa.
Other areas are, institutional reform of the African Union, elimination of female genital mutilation, domestic health financing, revitalization and operationalization of the African Union Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) policy and ending corruption in Africa.
