‘I am going to lead from the front’ – Raila takes on contestants during Mjadala Afrika debate
By Arnold Ngure, December 13, 2024Raila Odinga has vowed to push for the actualization of the dreams of the founding fathers of the African continent if elected as the African Union Chairman.
Raila served as the High Representative for Infrastructure in the AU for five years and served as Prime Minister and MP. He has also worked as an engineer and an educator in his life.
The former Prime Minister also revealed that he is a father of four children, grandfather of five and husband of one wife.
In his opening statement during the Mjadala Afrika debate, Raila indicated that if elected, he would ensure Africa gets two permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council.
He also noted that his agenda would focus on trade, agriculture, free movement and energy among other visions of the founding fathers of the union.
“I am going to lead from the front to ensure that we achieve the vision of the founding fathers of our continent,” Raila said.
The Mjadala Afrika started in 2017 when the need to bring transparency to the leadership of the commission.
The discussions seek to not only test the communication skills of the three candidates but also test their clarity and understanding of the tasks and pressing issues ahead of them.
AUC chair contestants
The contestants are Djibouti’s long-time Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssef, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and former Madagascar Foreign Minister Richard James Randriamandrato.
Randriamandrato is an economist while Youssef has been the Foreign Minister for Djibouti for the last 20 years. He has eight children and is 59 years old.
The AU Commission chairperson is responsible for the administration of the commission’s general duties and finances, promoting and popularizing the AU objectives and collaborating with key stakeholders including state partners to enhance performance.
Similarly, the AU chairperson gets to appoint and manage the commission’s administrative staff and the commission also acts as a depository for all the treaties by the AU or the OAU.
The African Union consists of 9 members from the Central African region, 14 members from the Eastern African region, seven countries from the North African region, 10 members from the Southern African region and 15 members from the West African region.
Leadership structure
The leadership of the AUC consists of the commission chairperson, whose contestants come from the Eastern region for the 2025 elections, the Deputy Chairperson who will come from the Northern African region and six commissioners from the remaining regions of Southern, Central and Western Africa.
The executive council of the African Union is in charge of electing the commissioners who are appointed by the assembly.
The AUC commission chairperson is usually elected for a four-year term renewable once alongside their commissioners.
The debate centres on trade, trade restrictions, non-tariff restrictions, and the free movement of people and goods across the continent.