Abuja – President Bola Tinubu is set to depart Abuja on Saturday, July 20, for Accra, Ghana, to participate in the sixth mid-year coordination meeting of the African Union (AU).
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, announced in a statement on Friday that President Tinubu, in his capacity as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, will address the meeting on the status of regional integration across Africa.
The statement, titled “President Tinubu to Attend the Sixth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union in Ghana,” detailed that the President will discuss the achievements and challenges encountered in West Africa since the last meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in July 2023.
President Tinubu will present the “2024 Report on the State of the Community,” covering key areas such as peace, regional security, governance, economic integration, humanitarian and social development, energy, mines, and agriculture.
The meeting will be held under the AU’s 2024 theme, “Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century.” The Mid-Year Coordination meeting, established in 2017, serves as the principal forum for the AU and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to align their work and coordinate the implementation of the continental integration agenda, replacing the previous June/July summits.
In July 2023, President Tinubu, then newly elected as the Chairman of ECOWAS, delivered his inaugural speech at the AU Fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Nairobi, where he emphasized Africa’s strength and the necessity for unity.
In Accra, the agenda will include evaluating the AU’s early warning and conflict prevention mechanisms and promoting cooperation among regional economic communities to accelerate integration. A declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the meeting.
President Tinubu will be accompanied by senior government officials and is expected to return to Nigeria after the meeting.
