Addis Ababa, February 19/2024 (ENA) The 37th African Union (AU) Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Governments concluded this morning with a strong commitment to address the continent’s challenges, prioritize key areas, and solidify international diplomacy.

Leaders of AU member countries, representatives of international organizations, and numerous other invited guests attended the 37th African Union summit, which was held at the organization’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the past two days.

The leaders have discussed a range of continental topics, such as peace and security, AU’s reform initiatives, quality and accessibility of education, and the implementation of Agenda 2063’s first phase ten-year plan.

The second phase of the ten-year Agenda 2063 plan has also been adopted by the summit.

The summit, capped by a night of closed-door discussions, emphasized the need for united action to navigate pressing issues and secure a brighter future for Africa.

Speaking at the closing session, Mau
ritanian President and the new AU Chairperson Mohamed Ould Ghazouani highlighted key takeaways from the first decade of Agenda 2063, the continental development roadmap, and expressed readiness to launch its second phase.

The chairperson pointed out education, with a focus on high-quality, 21st-century training, as a top priority under the year’s theme.

Emphasizing peace and security, Ghazouani pledged renewed efforts to resolve conflicts across the continent.

He also underscored the importance of a stronger African presence on the international stage, advocating for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council to ensure reformed and equitable global peace architecture.

Finding solutions to our problems and the multiple challenges our countries face require joint action through our organization and our union, Ghazouani stressed.

Peace, stability, human rights, good governance, and sustainable development were identified as key priorities , according to him.

The chairperson further emphasized the crucial
role of strong and resilient institutions in driving program success and achieving tangible progress.

He called for fostering complementarity and integration to maximize resources and impact.

“An Africa that takes hold of its own destiny in a strong dynamic on the international scene is not merely an option, but an existing necessity. We have no other choice,” he added.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it’s next government will pursue and retrieve all funds lost through corruption activities, particularly the Agyapa Royalties deal, if voted into power come the December 7 elections.

It has also vowed to investigate the deal and bring all persons found to have engaged in any corruption and corruption related act to justice.

‘The day of accountability is fast approaching, and no one found culpable will be left off the hook by the next NDC/Mahama government,’ Mr Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the Party, said at a news conference, in Accra, on Monday.

The Agyapa Royalties deal was introduced in 2020 to raise funds through mineral royalties for infrastructure development.

However, Government, in 2021, suspended the deal after public outcry, to allow for more consultation.

At a recent Public Accounts Committee hearing, it was disclosed by the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) that, an amount of $12m had, so far, been spent on the deal.

Th
e expenditure was processes related to issuing the initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange before the suspension of the deal.

Mr Gyamfi said the revelations were not surprising as the NDC had long held the view that the deal was orchestrated to rip Ghanaians off.

However, he said, the NDC was appalled by the amount spent on the deal, describing it as ‘unconscionable, cruel and brazen abuse of the public purse.’

‘This is very sad and disheartening, ‘ he added.

The National Communications Officer explained that the amount lost to the deal could have been used to address teething national needs, including supporting the revitalisation of the economy, covering the cost of months of treatments for kidney patients in the country and procuring textbooks for basic schools across the country.

‘This colossal amount of money, could have been used to provide childhood vaccines to protect innocent babies from dying of childhood killer diseases due to shortage of essential vaccines,’ he said, adding that
the amount could have been used to ‘provide potable water, or several CHIP compounds or schools for thousands of Ghanaians in deprived communities of the country.’

Mr Gyamfi stressed that the deal, therefore, amounted to woefully causing financial loss to the state, and assured that the culprits would not go unpunished.

He urged Ghanaians to repose confidence in the NDC and its Flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama by voting for him, to pursue and retrieve for the State, public funds lost to looting schemes.

‘We are absolutely confident that the good people of Ghana will rise to the occasion and reject corruption, nepotism, impunity, arrogance of power and economic mismanagement come 7th December, 2024,’ he added.

Source: Ghana News Agency