President William Ruto took the campaigns for Kenya’s candidate for the African Union Chairmanship (AUC) Raila Odinga to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ahead of his formal unveiling today.

Flanked by Raila, the Kenyan leader called for reforms in the African Union, saying the recognition of the continent’s financial institutions will spur intra-African trade.

Today, Raila’s campaign secretariat will host a series of events in the Ethiopian capital to formally unveil him to the continent as Kenya’s candidate to the post.

Today’s event is a follow-up to the one held on August 27 when he was unveiled by president Ruto in Nairobi.

A statement from his campaign secretariat said today’s even is meant to provide a platform for Raila to engage with “core players, formations and partners of the AU.”

“The candidate will use the forum to outline his pan-African vision and priorities with AU Agenda 2063,” read the statement.

Raila will later give a keynote address at the Grand Campaign Reception to be held at the AU Multipurpose Hall this evening.

“We have also made a decision as African Union Heads of State to buy more shares in these institutions,” Ruto stated yesterday when he addressed the African heads of missions accredited to Addis.

President Ruto, who serves as the Champion of the AU Institutional Reforms, added: “We need to support these institutions because they support our economies.”

The AU’s recognition of continental financial institutions such as the African Development Bank (ADB), Trade Development Bank and Ecobank, is similar to the recognition African countries have given international lenders such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

President Ruto also cited the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System developed by the African Export-Import Bank as a good example of a local solution to a global problem.

The payment system allows African businessmen to conduct cross-border trade using their countries’ currencies, saving them exchange rate losses occasioned by doing businesses in foreign currencies.

Further, President Ruto called on the African Union to rethink the continent’s peace and security matters to give it more say in Africa’s stability.

“The days of 20,000 AU peacekeeping force are slowly fading away. We need to take charge of our peace support mechanism in our continent,” he said.

Similarly, he said the reforms at the Pan-African Parliament be aimed at giving it the mandate to oversight the African Union Commission and approve its budget.