President of the Republic of Senegal Macky Sall has been elected as the new Chairperson of the African Union for the year 2022 by Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).

The event took place Saturday, Saturday 5 February 2022 during the ongoing Thirty-Fifth (35th) Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, holding physically at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa under the theme: “Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent: Strengthening Agro-Food Systems, Health and Social Protection Systems for the Acceleration of the Human, Social and Economic Development”.

President Macky Sall of Senegal is taking over the baton of command from Felix- Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who has concluded his term as the Chairperson of the African Union for the year 2021.

The event took place during the official opening of the 35th AU Summit of Heads of State and Government, in the presence of the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Deputy Chairperson of the AUC, Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, representatives of the UN, the Regional Economic Commission, dignitaries and invited guests as well as the AU staff.

The composition of the new bureau of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union for 2022 as presented by the Dean of the Permanent Representative Committee (PRC) is as follows:

Chairperson of the African Union (AU) – Republic of Senegal, (West African region)

First Vice Chair of the Union – Consultations are still ongoing;

Rapporteur – Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – (Central African region);

Second Vice Chair of the Union – Libya, (Northern Region); and

Third Vice Chair of the Union – Angola, ( Southern Region);

In his handing over speech, President Felix- Antoine Tshisekedi wished the new AU Chairperson, a successful Chairmanship and thanked the Heads of States of AU Member States as well as the AU outgoing bureau, for their support during the tenure of his mandate which he said, was marked by the prevailing sanitary crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Fred Azelwa.