President Akufo-Addo with acting President of Nigeria, His Excellency Osibanjo. INSET: The award given to President Akufo-Addo.
President Akufo-Addo has been named the 2017 African Union Gender Champion.
The title was conferred on him by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) at the opening ceremony of the 29th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State of the African Union, which is currently ongoing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Making the announcement, Guinean President, Alpha Condé – who is also the chairperson of the African Union – explained that the decision to confer the award on President Akufo-Addo was “in recognition of your efforts in gender equality at continental level.”
It was for this reason that UNECA named President Akufo-Addo as “the African Union Gender Champion for the Year 2017.”
Earlier this year, President Akufo-Addo was appointed chairperson of the AU Committee on Gender and Development by President Alpha Condé.
During his visit to Guinea on May 18, 2017, President Akufo-Addo took the opportunity to thank President Condé for the appointment, stating that “the Ghanaian people are honoured by your designation of me as chair of the AU’s Committee on Gender and Development. I am grateful, and wish to assure you that I will discharge my responsibilities to the very best of my abilities.”
29th AU Summit
The ongoing AU meeting of Heads of State is under the theme, “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in the Youth.”
Issues being discussed include institutional reforms of the AU, roadmap of practical steps to silence guns in Africa by 2020, the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) and the implementation of Agenda 2063 – The strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next 50 years.”
At the previous 28th AU Summit, African leaders signed up to the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) agreement, whose purpose is to ensure significant growth of Intra-Africa trade, as well as assist countries on the continent to use trade more effectively as an engine of growth and for sustainable development.
The CFTA would, among other things, seek to reduce the vulnerability of the continent to external shocks and enhance the participation of Africa in global trade as a respectable partner, thereby reducing the continent’s dependence on foreign aid and borrowing.
The meeting also agreed on new, adequate, predictable and sustainable ways of financing the African Union to be able to achieve its desired objectives.
The African leaders agreed that the constant resort to external funding means that the AU would be susceptible to external influences.
They therefore stressed the need to develop self-sustaining mechanisms to demonstrate Africa’s commitment to its regional objectives and agenda.
They also considered proposals from the AU Reforms Committee, headed by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, aimed at reforming the continental body so as to make it more relevant to the needs and aspirations of the African peoples.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent