Your Excellency, Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany;

Your Excellency, Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia;

Your Excellency, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission;

Permanent Representatives of AU Member States;

 Members of the Diplomatic Community here present;

Fellow AU Commissioners;

Staff of the Commission;

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to welcome all the distinguished guests to this historical occasion which will see the inauguration of the Julius Nyerere Peace and Security building. From the onset, I wish, on behalf of the Commission as a whole and, in particular, on behalf of the Peace and Security Department, and indeed, on my own personal behalf, to express our sincere gratitude to the Government and People of the Federal Government of Germany for this long awaited New Peace and Security Building which will forever remain a shining beacon of the AU-Germany partnership.

To Chancellor Merkel, thank you. Words can never be enough, but we are inspired that your government’s gesture to the people and citizens of Africa has been etched into perpetuity and posterity will applaud.

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The security challenges facing the world as a whole and those facing Africa are indivisible. Indeed, it would not be possible for me to compile two separate lists, one entitled “global security challenges” and the other headed “African security challenges” and treat them differently. For example, the migration crisis is a humanitarian and security challenge that unites Europe and Africa and that can only be tackled by addressing the root causes, namely insecurity and lack of development.

This new facility is therefore a recognition by the Federal Republic of Germany that in tackling the multiple security challenges facing the world and Africa in particular, we are in this together and that German Cooperation is aligned to the priorities of the African Union and its peace and security agenda.

I am sure that this building will enhance our capability to deal with peace and security challenges of the continent by providing the enabling environment for our experts and officials to think, predict, respond and communicate, deliberate and decide on all crises that may arise. It will further assist the Peace and Security Council of the African Union in the discharge of its mandate in promoting peace, security and stability in Africa.

The new home for the Peace and Security Department is named after Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, the first President of Tanzania, one of the founding fathers of the OAU in 1963 and one of the pioneers of Pan-Africanism. As we move into our new building, our hope is that every day we and the next generation will be inspired by his spirit and vision for a strong, peaceful and united Africa.

As I conclude, I want to believe that our partnership will continue to grow as we endeavor to ensure a stable and peaceful Africa which will contribute to the peace and stability of the world.

May I respectfully invite the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, to deliver her address on this important occasion.

I thank you for your kind attention.