President William Ruto on Monday, January 27, 2025, chaired a high-level Extended Bureau Retreat on African Union Institutional Reforms at the State House in Nairobi.

The two-day retreat brought together key leaders of the African Union and heads of state including Presidents Azali Assoumani of Comoros, John Mahama of Ghana, Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Equatorial Guinea, Taye Atske of Ethiopia and the current AU commission chairperson Moussa Faki.

The meeting was scheduled by Ruto who is the designated AU champion to discuss and review the progress and future of AU reforms including sustainable funding.

“This retreat is an opportunity to pause, reflect and refocus our collective energies towards an African Union that is robust, efficient and fit for purpose,” Ruto said.

Restructuring                                                                                                          

The reform priorities include the restructuring of the remaining AU organs, institutions and offices and the study on the Division of Labour between the African Union, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Member States.

Ruto will be expected to give a progress report on the reform implementation during the ordinary assembly of members in February 2025.

“Since my appointment as Champion of AU institutional reforms, I have engaged extensively and strategically with key AU stakeholders to advance the reform agenda. These engagements include meetings with the African Union Commission leadership led by Moussa Faki Mahamat, the AU Institutional Reform Unit Secretariat, led by its technical Head, Pierre Moukoko, and a retreat I convened in Naivasha, Kenya, on reforms with various stakeholders,” Ruto added.

Ruto equally proposed the formation of a committee of African heads of state to ensure strategic oversight and collective ownership of the reforms.

Security assessment

Ruto equally spoke on the security situation in the continent, urging the heads of state to embrace peace in the wake of a potential full-scale war between M23 rebels and DRC soldiers in the Eastern region of the mineral-rich country.

“Africa today is home to 35 million internally displaced persons, 8.9 million refugees, 1.1 million asylum seekers and 1 million stateless persons. Between April and June 2024 alone, a total of 1,000 terrorism incidents were recorded across Africa, resulting in 4,818 deaths,” Ruto said.

He urged for a revitalization of the AU peace-keeping apparatus, noting that the potential of the institutions has long been underutilized.

“The African Union’s presence in regional hotspots remains weak, fragmented and under-resourced. The AU’s network of Special Envoys and High Representatives is under-utilized and urgently needs refreshing in certain cases. As peace is the key precondition for development, it follows that our continent’s developmental goals are being hindered by these destabilising forces,” Ruto urged.

Ruto also observed the need for a proactive counter-terrorism plan and implementation of sustainable measures for the continent to finance its own initiatives by domestic resource mobilization.