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Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Thursday, December 12, 2024, met with his rivals in the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship position ahead of the much-awaited debate.

Raila came face to face with Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Foreign Affairs Minister, Djibouti who is considered among his biggest rivals in the race during the preparation for the debate.

Richard Randriamandrato, Former Foreign Affairs Minister, of Madagascar was also present as the team from the African Union (AU) briefed them on the rules and protocols for the debate.

The three also got an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the venue in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the stage where they will articulate their vision for the continent in a debate dubbed Mjadala Africa which will be broadcast on various TV stations.

“Candidates vying for the position of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission are currently at the African Union Headquarters in preparation for the upcoming Mjadala Afrika debate,” a statement shared by the African Union read in part.

How it will be done

The much-anticipated debate will commence at 7:00 pm on Friday, December 13, 2024. It will be conducted in French and English, with simultaneous interpretation provided to the candidates and the audience in all six working languages of the African Union (English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili).

The debate will be moderated by Anita Erskine from Erskine Global Communications and Fatima Charef, a media and communications expert.

To set the pace, AU asked people to share their questions which help the conversation during the debate.

The debate will provide candidates with an opportunity to outline their vision of how they would lead the transformation of Africa through the implementation of the AU Mandate and Africa’s Agenda 2063.

It will also allow African citizens and other stakeholders to put forward questions to the candidates on issues they want to be addressed in order to propel the continent’s growth and ensure Africa achieves its goals for integrated and sustainable development and becoming a major player in the global arena.