Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The African Union (AU) has elected H.E. President Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi as Chairperson for 2026 during the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.
The two-day summit, held under the theme “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” also highlighted Africa's urgent need for peace, institutional reform, and financial self-reliance.
Water Security: A Continental Priority
Addressing the Assembly, AU Commission Chairperson H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf emphasised that access to water is a collective good essential for development and peace.
“Institutional reform and financial self-reliance are now imperative as external funding declines,” he said, urging Member States to mobilise domestic resources and accelerate implementation of continental flagship programmes, including industrialisation, agricultural transformation, energy development, and infrastructure expansion. He also called for tangible results for Africa's youth, women, and civil society, noting that this decade of Agenda 2063 must deliver measurable outcomes. Chairperson Youssouf expressed solidarity with populations affected by conflict, citing crises in Sudan, the Sahel, the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and the Palestinian territories, and reiterated the importance of international humanitarian law.
Outgoing Chair Reflects on Progress
H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola and outgoing AU Chairperson, officially opened the summit, describing sustainable water access as a political, moral, and strategic priority critical to Africa's development, food security, and stability.
Reflecting on Angola's tenure, Lourenço highlighted progress in advancing Agenda 2063, mobilising investment for infrastructure, promoting continental integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and implementing reforms to improve AU efficiency.
On peace and security, Lourenço stressed that Africa's development depends on “silencing the guns” and addressing conflicts in Sudan and the DRC, as well as combating terrorism in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. He reiterated the AU's rejection of unconstitutional changes of government.
Mohamoud Ali Youssouf
Shaping Africa's Global Role
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged African countries to move from reacting to global events to actively shaping the international agenda.
He called for unity and confidence, emphasising that true sovereignty requires controlling Africa's narrative and technological future, pointing to Ethiopia's AI institute and plans for an AI university as steps toward this goal.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the importance of strengthening the strategic partnership between the UN and the AU.
He called for multilateral cooperation to advance peace, security, and sustainable development, and backed Africa's push for stronger representation on the UN Security Council.
New AU Leadership for 2026
President Ndayishimiye of Burundi assumes the rotating AU chairmanship from Angola, with the new Bureau of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government for 2026 as follows:
