The African Union (AU) Executive Council opened its 49th Ordinary Session in Ethiopia, bringing together African Foreign Ministers to address the continent’s severe water and sanitation crisis alongside mounting global economic uncertainties.
Running under the theme “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” the summit highlights urgent development deficits. Across Africa, more than 400 million people lack access to basic drinking water, while over 700 million remain without safely managed sanitation.
Addressing the opening ceremony, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf warned that the council convenes at a time of heightened geopolitical instability, citing conflicts in the Middle East and tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, which threaten to disrupt African trade and economic stability.
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Executive Secretary Claver Gatete urged African leaders to accelerate domestic resource mobilisation, noting that Africa loses nearly $90 billion annually to illicit financial flows and collects only 16% of gross domestic product in tax revenue, compared to the 34% average in developed economies.
Chaired by Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Édouard Bizimana, the Executive Council will review reports from the Permanent Representatives’ Committee and prepare policy recommendations for consideration ahead of upcoming AU decision-making summits.
–ChannelAfrica/AU–
