Media Statement
16 February 2024
President Ramaphosa to participate at the 37th African Union Heads of State and Government Summit
President Cyril Ramaphosa has today, 16 February 2024, arrived in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, to be convened between 17 and 18 February 2024.
The AU Assembly is meeting under the theme: “Educate an Africa fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa”.
The AU Assembly is preceded by the 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, which took place on 14 and 15 February 2024.
President Ramaphosa is accompanied by a delegation of Ministers comprising of International Relations and Cooperation; Trade Industry and Competition; Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation; Public Service and Administration; Basic Education; and Fisheries, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
The Assembly is expected to discuss the status of peace and security on the continent and the consideration of the report of the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC). The discussion will take place against the backdrop of great concern regarding the state of peace and security in some parts of the continent.
The highlight of the 37th Ordinary Session will be the launch of the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan of the AU’s Agenda 2063: “The Africa we want”. Agenda 2063 serves as a fifty-year blueprint for Africa’s socio-economic development and integration, adopted by the AU member states after extensive consultations across the continent.
South Africa has elevated the implementation of Agenda 2063 as one of the foremost priorities in the advancement of the African agenda.
A key flagship project of Agenda 2063 in which South Africa is playing a leading role, is the operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (the AfCFTA), that serves as a milestone development in the evolution of the AU.
South Africa is expected to attend and participate in several high-level committee meetings of the Assembly. These include the meeting of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), which will be held to reaffirm Africa’s position on Climate Change, Presidential Dialogue on Africa’s Agenda for Reform of the Global Financial Architecture and a Peace and Security Situation in the Eastern Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo Summit.
President Ramaphosa will present a report on the progress made in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa in his capacity as the Champion of the AU’s COVID-19 response.
Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to President Ramaphosa – media@presidency.gov.za
Issued by The Presidency
Pretoria