confirmed as AU Chair, will take place on the 9th and 10th February in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
South African Ambassador in Egypt Issa Shariff has spoken of his push towards the vision, first mooted by Prime Minister of the Cape Colony Cecil Rhodes in the 1890s, of a Pan-African Highway. President Cyril Ramaphosa and President el-Sisi have been working in recent months towards the February handover. Ramaphosa visited Cairo in December last year but cut short his trip due to challenges at power utility Eskom.“South Africa takes over the Chairpersonship of the AU at a critical time for the institution and the continent characterised by positive dynamism, opportunities and complex challenges facing the continent.
“We have the priority of peace and security on the continent which will be continued by South Africa with the silencing of the guns and we also have the African Free Trade Agreement which entered into force during the chairpersonship of Egypt and it will be implemented during the Chairmanship of South Africa.”