The 40th ordinary session of the Executive Council of the African Union(AU) kicked off on Wednesday with leaders of the AU commission and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa(UNECA) expressing concern over increasing security threats including unconstitutional change of government and infectious diseases such as COVID-19 across the African continent.
Addressing the executive council, chairperson of the AU Commission Mussa Faki Mahamat said the continent has been affected by a string of conflicts that destabilized large numbers of people.
“Peace and security have been seriously threatening many regions of the continent with increasing military coups, intra-state conflict and expansion of murdering groups in many African states,” Faki said.
The chairperson blamed the deficient political, economic, and social governance across the continent for the increasing insecurity problems.
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He said the resurgence and unconstitutional change of government are dangerously affecting the continent as the continent is battling with COVID-19 pandemic and deteriorating climate change.
According to Faki, displacement and migration remain to be the major problems of the continent as economic crises hit Africa worse.
Speaking on the occasion, United Nations Under Secretary and executive secretary of the UNECA Vera Songwe highlighted a number of risks Africa has with.
“Africa like the rest of the world, needs to build resilience against a number of threats including climate change, cyber security risks, pandemics and infectious diseases, weak governance and conflict,” she said.
According to Songwe, the risks have come on the heels of depressed, high levels of unemployment and an increasingly closing civic space.
Songwe said Africa pooled its risks, and relying on 20 years of building solidarity it created the African Medical Supplies Platform to access protective equipment.
“Today our senses are awoken and the race to improve our health systems and manufacture locally is afoot,” Songwe said, adding that Africa is surviving the health pandemic but its economies are stretched.
She warned that the continent could face another more devastating human crisis as the number of food insecure people in the continent rises.
“African economies lose between 3 percent and 16 percent GDP annually due to malnutrition,” she said.
The Executive Council is holding its two-day sessions, from Wednesday, under the theme of the year, “Building resilience in nutrition on the African continent: Accelerate the Human Capital, Social and Economic Development.”
The Executive Council meeting, which brings together foreign ministers of African countries at the AU Headquarters in Ethiopia’ capital Addis Ababa for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, is expected to consider the draft agenda of the 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, slated to be held from February 5-6.
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