Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has pledged the Commission’s full support for President John Dramani Mahama as he prepares to assume the AU Chairmanship in January.
Mr Youssouf gave the assurance when he led a high-level AU Commission delegation on a courtesy call on President Mahama in Accra on Friday, November 13.
The delegation expressed confidence in the President’s leadership, citing his contributions to continental development, particularly his advocacy for reparative justice and efforts to reform Africa’s financial institutions.
Discussions during the meeting focused on key continental priorities, including the AU’s financial independence, Africa’s debt burden, regional security and the strengthening of intra-African relations.
On financial self-reliance, President Mahama called on AU member states to fully implement the Union’s 0.2 per cent levy on eligible imports to provide sustainable funding for its operations and programmes.
Drawing comparisons with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which operates a 0.5 per cent community levy to finance its activities, he stressed that the AU levy should be viewed as a contribution from African citizens rather than government funds.
“It’s not government money to the AU; it’s the people’s money. Government is only a collecting agency,” President Mahama said.
He pledged to engage other African leaders to build support for the full implementation of the levy.
The AU Commission delegation commended President Mahama for supporting efforts to secure the Union’s financial independence, particularly through the proposed levy.
President Mahama also briefed the delegation on the Accra Reset Initiative, which seeks to strengthen Africa’s sovereignty and resilience through increased vaccine production, improved access to vaccines and stronger health systems across the continent.
He further called for effective approaches to addressing Africa’s growing debt burden, including improved debt treatment mechanisms and sustainable arrangements for managing the continent’s liabilities.
On regional security and cooperation, Mr Youssouf commended President Mahama’s efforts to bridge differences between the Economic Community of West African States and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The AU Commission Chairperson also praised the President’s leadership in advancing Africa’s reparations agenda on the international stage.
The engagement forms part of consultations ahead of President Mahama’s assumption of the AU Chairmanship, with discussions centred on strengthening the Union’s institutional capacity and advancing shared continental priorities.
