By Bunmi Makinwa
In a few weeks, the political leaders of African nations will gather in Addis Ababa to elect the new Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC). The individual elected to this position will lead the secretariat of the African Union (AU) and serve for four years with a possibility for a mandate renewal for another four years.
The AU was founded in 2002, succeeding the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), established in 1963 by 38 African countries to promote common objectives.
The current AUC chairperson, Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, formerly Chad’s Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, is the first to serve two mandates, having been elected in 2017 and re-elected unopposed in 2021.
Although much attention is focused on the election of the chairperson of the AUC, and rightly so, there are several other positions that will be subject to election. They include the posts of deputy chairperson and commissioners who head up the key pillars or departments of the AUC.
According to the AU, the majority of the current commissioners must give up their posts as their mandates have expired, except the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, of Nigeria, who served previously as his country’s envoy to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU.
Ambassador Bankole has completed his initial term and is eligible for a second one. The position is generally regarded as instrumental in formulating the major agenda of peacebuilding and avoiding and managing conflicts and wars, which are crucial to the continent’s development.
As a leading economy in Africa, among other reasons, Nigeria’s political standing has always been significant, hence having a proven and experienced person in the role should be beneficial to the continent’s progress and influence globally.
The election of AUC’s chairperson, deputy-chairperson and commissioners is designed to adhere to an agreed formula of regional rotation that ensures a balance of representation for all five geographical regions of Africa. Gender balance is a major consideration too.
Interestingly, the same term “chairperson” is used for the head of the AUC and the head of state or government, who is elected by fellow leaders to preside over the AU usually for a one-year term, in rotation among the countries.
President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, who hosted the first AU summit of heads of state, became the first chairperson of the AU. Since then, the AU has seen 22 heads of state and government serve as chairpersons each for one term of one year, except for Nigeria’s then-President Olusegun Obasanjo who held the office for two years (2004-2006).
At the establishment of AUC in 2002, Mr. Amara Essy, formerly foreign affairs minister of Cote d’Ivoire, and serving as OAU’s secretary-general since 2001 was asked to oversee the transition to the new AU. He served as AUC interim chairperson for one year.
The AU leaders sought to appoint one of their own and turned to a new candidate, and elected a former head of state, former President Alpha Konare of Mali, to replace Essy as AUC chairperson in 2003.
Though popular initially, Konare served only one term. His exit was primarily attributed to the tension between him and several presidents who felt Konare had overstepped the boundaries of his position which was solely that of a secretariat head.
In 2008, a new chairperson, Mr. Jean Ping, formerly the foreign minister of Gabon, was elected to office. Ping as AUC chairperson demonstrated a willingness to assume the role of an effective chief executive officer who yielded decision-making authority to the presidents, especially on policies, whilst AUC implemented them.
The change from Konare to Ping highlighted the delicate equilibrium inherent in the role of the AUC chairperson in the restructured AU on policy-making and executive initiatives, especially regarding sensitive subjects such as sovereignty, security, governance and peacebuilding.
During his first term in office, Ping encountered an unforeseen challenge to his re-election from the South African government of President Jacob Zuma. With no-holds-barred campaigns, South Africa successfully secured the election of its former Foreign Minister Nkozasana Dlamini-Zuma as chairperson of AUC in 2012, despite causing notable friction with several key African nations, including Nigeria.
Dr Dlamini-Zuma, the ex-wife of former President Zuma took some bold decisions at the AUC while adeptly maintaining a harmonious relationship with the presidents in their respective roles. She was most notably recognized for initiating and establishing Agenda 2063, a plan for the development of the continent that garnered unanimous support from most member states. Additionally, Dlamini-Zuma was acknowledged for championing a gender-conscious approach to the organisation.
For a fairly long period, speculations were rife on whether Zuma would return home to pursue a political position or opt to serve a second term as chairperson of AUC. Finally, she chose not to seek a second term, and it opened a floodgate of interested candidates.
It took a lot of negotiations and several rounds of elections before Mr Faki emerged as the new AUC chairperson. Faki, having served his two terms in office, will yield the office to a new chairperson who will be elected in February, the major highlight of the next AU summit in the Ethiopian capital.
Three contestants who have been shortlisted for the election are:
- Mahamoud Ali Youssouf – Foreign Minister of Djibouti since 2005.
- Raila Odinga – former Prime Minister of Kenya and presidential candidate.
- Richard Randriamandrato – former Foreign Minister of Madagascar.
The next article will reexamine the three contenders for the position. It will evaluate their strengths and chances to secure the AU top job in February, considering key factors that could affect the choice of the heads of state of 55 countries that constitute the continent’s foremost political organisation.
Bunmi Makinwa is the CEO of AUNIQUEI Communication for Leadership
