Venson-Moitoi for Africa Union Commission Chair

The 28th Ordinary session of the African Union summit starts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 22nd to 31st January 2017 under the theme ‘harnessing the demographic dividend through investments in the youth’.

A release from headquarters says the summit will comprise the 33rd ordinary session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) from 22 to 24t January; 30th ordinary session of the Executive Council from January 25th to 27th and the 28th ordinary session of the Assembly of the Union from January 30th to 31st.

But the highlight of the summit will doubtless be the hotly contested election for the post of Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Five candidates - Pelonomi Venson Moitoi (Botswana), Moussa Faki Mahamat (Chad), Agapito Mba Mokuy (Equatorial Guinea), Dr. Amina C. Mohammed (Kenya) and Dr. Abdoulaye Bathily (Senegal) are vying to replace South Africa’s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Further, there will be election for the post of Deputy Chairperson of the Commission, which is currently held by Kenya’s Erastus Mwencha since 2008. After the elections there will be appointments of eight commissioners to the African Union Commission; two judges to the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights (AfCHPR); 11 members of the African Union Advisory board on the Fight Against Corruption (AUABC) and one member of the African Union Commission on International Law (AUCIL).

Other  highlights will include the presentation on the report of the reform of the African Union by Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame; submission of the report on the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA); consideration of the request by Morocco to become a member state of the African Union; reports and draft decisions of the committees of the Assembly of the Union; adoption of decisions and declarations of the policy organs and finally consideration of the annual report of the Chairperson on the activities of the Commission covering the period January to December 2016.

But certainly the most watched event will be the election of the Chairperson of the Commission. Botswana’s foreign minister and SADC’s consensus candidate, Pelonomi-Venson Moitoi is the frontrunner. She amassed an impressive lead in the last election compelling her competitors to withdraw in the process but was only let down by leaders of ECOWAS - Economic Community of West African States – who abstained from voting on the premise none of the candidates was “qualified” or fit for the job.

Now with two candidates – Senegal and Equatorial Guinea – ECOWAS’15 presidents have no excuse but to play ball. It is a hard call by all means. Yet if the last debate hosted by the Commission at the instigation of Venson-Moitoi is anything to go by, Southern Africa has an early lead.Moitoi’s campaign is led by Hotwire PRC, which has volunteered its efforts to help drive “greater awareness” of and support for our foreign minister. They are joined by other local advertising agencies on a pro bono basis as well as lawyers and academics.

Ministers Phillip Makgalemele and Biggie Butale have also been roped into the campaign and have been running around the region to solicit support for Venson-Moitoi, as has former President, Festus Mogae, who is currently mediating peace under the aegis of the United Nations in South Sudan.

Diplomatic sources say South Africa’s Jacob Zuma and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe have joined the fray on the side of Venson-Moitoi and are actively lobbying their peers in the regions of Africa to cast their votes for her. Swaziland’s King Mswati and his prime minister are also actively supporting Venson-Moitoi’s campaign as is Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.