AU Chairperson’s Role and Why Amina Mohammed is the Lady to Watch

When the 27th African Union summit meeting in Kigali failed to vote for a new AU Commission chair to replace the outgoing AU commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a lot has happened ahead of the next summit.

No outright winner was declared because none attained the required 2/3 votes. Those who contested for the seat were: former Uganda Vice President Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, Botswana Foreign Minister Pelonomi Venson Moitoi, and Equatorial Guinea Foreign Minister Agapito Mba Mokuy. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma still holds the position since her appointment in 2012.

Five aspirants of the African Union Chairperson position will face off in a debate on Friday 9^thDecember 2016 at the Union’s headquarters in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa ahead of their election during the 28^th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government from January 30^th to 31^st.

According to Dlamini-Zuma, the debate is meant to transform the union by giving, “The broad African public an opportunity to be informed and participate in the work of the commission.”

The five candidates for the African Union Commission Chairperson position include; Botswana’s Foreign Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, Chad’s Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat, Equatorial Guinea’s Foreign Minister Agapito Mba Mokuy, Kenya’s Foreign Minister Amina Mohammed and Senegal’s Bathily Abdoulaye who is the special UN envoy for Central Africa.

Amb. Amina Mohammed emerges as the candidate to beat. Indeed, many believe that she is best suited to head the African Union with a significant number of Kenyans and Africans, within and without agreeing that she is the lady of the hour – the lady to watch.

Amb. Mohammed was recently honoured by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as one of the four UNDP Champions for the year 2016.

According to the AU website, “The Chairperson of the Commission is the Chief Executive Officer, legal representative of the AU and the Commission’s Accounting Officer (Commission Statutes, article 7). The Chairperson is directly responsible to the Executive Council for the discharge of his or her duties.”

Today’s debate will be streamed live here  and will also be broadcast live from 1930 to 2130 hours EAT.

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