Ruto Rallies African Leaders Behind Urgent AU Reforms At Angola Meeting
President William Ruto addressing the forum on Tuesday.
By MKT Reporter
President William Ruto has urged African countries to unite behind a bold and urgent reform of the African Union (AU), warning that the continent risks losing global influence if the institution does not modernise and strengthen its structures.
Ruto, who serves as the AU Champion for Institutional Reform, made the appeal on Tuesday when he chaired the African Union Institutional Reform Ad Hoc Committee Meeting of Heads of State in Luanda, Angola.
The high-level session examined progress on eight priority areas outlined under Assembly Decision 920, which seeks to make the AU more effective, efficient and responsive to Africa’s evolving needs.
The President stressed that the reform process is not only necessary but achievable within a short time if Member States act with unity and urgency. He noted that without meaningful change, the AU could become increasingly ineffective, costing the continent valuable opportunities and weakening Africa’s voice in global affairs.
“This reform is doable. It is possible and necessary to have an effective African Union, and we can do it within the shortest time possible while carrying everyone on board,” he told fellow leaders.
To widen participation, he announced that a summit of Heads of State would be convened to allow leaders to contribute their perspectives before the reform package is finalised.
Ruto called on Member States to read the detailed reform report and submit written feedback to the AU secretariat ahead of the February summit.
He cautioned against allowing concerns about the financial implication of some proposals to slow progress, pointing out that several reforms require no additional funding and are instead matters of structure, coordination and political will.
The report discussed in Luanda proposes far-reaching changes aimed at revitalising the AU’s peace and security architecture, securing predictable financing for the Union, operationalising the long-delayed African Court of Justice and streamlining the AU Assembly agenda to improve focus and decision-making. It also calls for strengthening the Pan-African Parliament by advancing ratification of the Malabo Protocol, introducing clear categories for AU decisions to improve compliance, finalising the division of labour among AU organs and regional bodies, and restructuring AU institutions to create a leaner, more efficient system.
According to Ruto, the recommendations form a coherent roadmap that would position the AU to better champion Agenda 2063 and respond to a rapidly changing world. The report also proposes merging the Peace and Security Architecture with the African Governance Architecture to enhance crisis prevention and governance oversight, and advocates full adoption of the import levy to stabilise AU financing.
AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf affirmed the Commission’s commitment to driving the reforms forward and praised Ruto for his sustained leadership in steering the process.
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