AU First Ministerial Retreat concludes with calls for commitments to meet the aspiration of the people of Africa by 2063

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, January 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Union Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Members of the Executive Council concluded today, 26January 2014, in the Ethiopian city of Bahir Dar, three days of intense debates on the Africa Agenda 2063, in the framework of the AU First Ministerial Retreat, which held under the theme of “Defining Agenda 2063 for Africa”.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the AU Executive Council, expressed satisfaction at the successful conclusion of the retreat, urging that it “should be the beginning of a strong political commitment to implement our vision and meet the aspirations of our peoples”.

Acknowledging Africa’s internal and external challenges that militate against its prospect for peace and prosperity, the Executive Council Chairperson emphasized on the responsibility of the African leaders to lay a solid foundation for the realization of the continent’s dream. “We should, demonstrate the strong leadership, political commitment and selfless sacrifice to make some of the tough decisions to ensure a better future for the African peoples,” he added.

The ministerial retreat listened to an imaginative e-mail from the future (2063), to Kwame Nkrom, Pan Africanist and one of the founding fathers of the OAU, written by Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, AUC Chairperson, which demonstrates the dreams and aspirations shared by all Africans i.e. for a peaceful, integrated and prosperous Africa.

The Chairperson in her e mail from the future said ” Planning fifty years ahead allowed us to dream, think creatively, and sometimes crazy as one of the Ministers who hosted the 2014 ministerial retreat said, to see us leapfrog beyond the immediate challenges. (Please see the complete e mail from the future on: www.au.int)

The retreat also saw two proposals by the AUC Chairperson: establishing a Ministerial Committee, which will work together with the and African Development Bank (AfDB) to finalize Agenda 2063; and creating an African platform where political and business leaders as well as all other concerned stakeholders regularly meet to brainstorm on the continent’s development and integration agenda.