Kigali. RWANDA, 17 July 2016

Your Excellency, President Idress Deby, Chairperson of the African Union and President of the Republic of Chad
Your Excellency, President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda, and our gracious host
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the African Union;
Your Excellency, Mr. Mamoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine
Excellencies, Former Heads of State and Government and former Secretaries General and Chairpersons of the OAU and AU
Dr. Lopes, Executive Secretary of the UNECA
Dr. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank
Excellencies, Members of the Executive Council and other Ministers;
Representative of AU Organs,
Honourable First Ladies
Deputy Chairperson Erastus Mwencha and fellow Commissioners
CEO of the NEPAD Agency, Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki
Excellencies, Heads of Regional Economic Communities and African Union Specialised Agencies, Representative and Liaison offices;
Excellencies, members of the Permanent Representatives Committee;
Representatives of Civil society
Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Officials from Capitals
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a distinct privilege and honour to welcome you to the 27th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. We thank our gracious host, President Paul Kagame, the people and government of the Republic of Rwanda for their legendary hospitality in this beautiful and spotless city of Kigali. They tell us Rwanda is a country of a thousand hills, a thousand smiles and a million opportunities.

A warm welcome to the Excellencies, entrusted with leading their countries in the coming term, who have just been elected: H.E. Mr. Faustin Archange Touadera, President of the Central African Republic; H.E. Mr. Patrice Talon, President of the Republic of Benin; and H.E. Mr Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of the Comores upon their elections.

We also congratulate the following Presidents, who have been re-elected President Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, President Museveni of the Republic of Uganda, President Issoufou of the Republic of Niger, President Guelleh of Djibouti, President Mbasongo of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and our Chairperson President Deby of the Republic of Chad.

We take this opportunity to again pass our condolences to the people of the Saharawi Democratic Republic, on the passing of HE, President Mohamed Abdelaziz. We welcome and congratulate HE Mr. Ibrahim Ghali on his election just a few days ago to the position of President. The AU remains with you in your struggle for self-determination.

Your Excellencies,

Four years ago, when the leadership of the Commission was elected, we were given the honour and responsibility to serve the African Union and give our best to Africa.

This responsibility has taken us to the headquarters of the Africa Union in Addis Ababa, where on 25 May 2013, we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of OAU and AU. On that occasion we reflected together with Africans from across the continent and the Diaspora, on the road we have travelled and the mission of our founders. We deliberated on the Africa we have and the Africa we want.

Two years later, after listening to African citizens sharing their aspirations, we adopted Agenda 2063, our 50 year framework towards a continent that is integrated, peaceful and prosperous, driven by its own citizens and playing a dynamic role in the world.

Your Excellencies, the Africa we have today is full of hope, possibility and optimism, but is also a cause of anguish in some areas. Whilst the farmers, traders, students, entrepreneurs, professionals, teachers, builders, nurses, and innovators from our continent are hard at work and incomes have begun to rise; there are still parts of our continent, where Africans are desperately yearning for peace and the space to rebuild their lives.

As this Summit therefore discusses peace and security and how to silence the guns, we draw inspiration that peace is possible, as shown by Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, and Madagascar, who are rebuilding their countries after a recent period of conflict and instability.

The men, women and children, the young people and elderly of Burundi, Eastern DRC, the Lake Chad Basin, Libya, Mali, Somalia, and South Sudan deserve no less.

We are encouraged that after the recent problems in South Sudan, IGAD met yesterday, and we are sure that their decisions will give hope to the people and especially the civilians of South Sudan.

The African Union has made a pledge not to bequeath violent conflicts, wars, or genocide to future generations of Africans. That pledge demands our attention as we gather in Rwanda, whose brutal events of 1994 made us commit to the principle of non-indifference.

We shall not be indifferent and shall act in the belief that when the power of love for our fellow Africans overcomes our love of power, then there shall be peace in our lands.

Your Excellencies

Despite the blights on our collective souls that these conflicts represent, the Africa we have is still full of hope.

We see hope in the resilience of our people, and the strides of countries towards eradicating poverty and transforming our economies.

We see hope in the ever-changing landscapes of cities and towns, as we steadily build roads, increase access to energy, ICT, water and sanitation, and build schools, clinics and sports fields.

We have hope, because the continent’s political and business leadership are preparing to act to make African industrialization a reality in our lifetime, so that all Africans benefit from their natural and mineral resources.

On 25 July, we shall celebrate the Day of African Seas and Oceans, a monument to our determination to claim what is ours beyond our shores: to build African shipping lines, train African seafarers and marine biologists, and take charge of the riches of our seas. We look forward to the Maritime Security and Development Summit in Togo in October, to consolidate these efforts.

We are hopeful, because work started on the Agenda 2063 flagship projects and the 1st Ten Year Implementation Plan, and over two thirds of countries and RECs begun domesticating this collective vision of the Africa we want.

On the sidelines of this Summit, the Commission met African Editors, discussing the role they should play in popularizing Agenda 2063, in holding up a mirror that reflect African stories in their great diversity, in changing mindsets, and shaping an African narrative that is Pan African and promote our Renaissance. To do this, they told me to transmit to the Excellencies, they require freedom of the press and not to be persecuted for telling the truth.

We are indeed hopeful, because across the length and breadth of our lands, women and girls see our commitment to empower them, as we increase women’s participation at the table in peace talks, in parliaments, governments, the judiciaries and the economy; as we advocate for their access to land, education, health, credit and the recognition of their rights as human rights. The 3rd High Level Panel on Gender Equality that preceded the Summit, with over 400 mainly women and some men from across the continent and the Diaspora repeated their call to strengthen financing for the gender and the role of women in peace processes.

I again congratulate the President of Rwanda, because the women’s movement from across the continent recently honoured him as a continental and global champion for women’s right. They can see that the saying behind every successful man is a woman is no longer true. They can see that in Rwanda, men and women are working side by side.

We have hope, Your Excellencies, because as Africa’s economies continue to grow despite the headwinds, and we move forward with the Continental Free Trade Area, our Education ministries, teachers and activists, our university and college principals and faculties, our industry and private sector agree that the African skills revolution in science technology, innovation, engineering and mathematics must happen, and are working to make it happen.

We have started preparations for 2017 as the Year of Investments in Youth to harness the African Demographic Dividend. Over the past four years, we met African young men and women in their gatherings, and in the annual Intergenerational Dialogues at the AU Summits.

Youth are responding to our call from the E-mail from the future to form AU Clubs, adding their energies, innovation and daring towards the regeneration of our continent. As we take forward reforms of the AU Commission, we must ensure that Africa’s youth have a dedicated place in our institutions, in the same way as women have.

Your Excellencies

On the occasion of the January 2014 Summit in Addis Ababa, I read an e-mail from the future, from the Year 2063, where we said:
Africa did not realize its power, but instead relied on donors, that we euphemistically called our partners.
Of course this shift could not happen without Africa taking charge of its transformation, including the financing of our development. As one esteemed Foreign minister said in 2014: Africa is rich, but Africans are poor.
We are very happy that we can tick this box from the email. With your historic landmark decision from yesterday’s Retreat on Financing the African Union, Your Excellencies, with Ministers of Finance and Foreign Affairs decided that our future should start today.

You took an unprecedented leap forward for African self-reliance and dignity. We congratulate you for this bold and visionary leadership.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

The Commission stands ready to hand over the baton, as this Summit is tasked with electing a new leadership to serve our continent for the next four years.

In our years of service to the AU Members States and to the Peoples of Africa, we build on the foundations of those that went before us, to build a Union of the People by engaging with civil society and citizens. We worked tirelessly to ensure that we leave institutions more effective than what we found.

This work is not yet complete, and in our handover to the incoming Commission once elected, we shall highlight both achievements and the challenges still remaining.

On behalf of Deputy Chairperson Mwencha and Commissioners, and on my own behalf, a very heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for the guidance and support given to us during the four years of our term of office.

We thank you for the tasks you were always willing to undertake on peace and security, and as champions of our various continental frameworks and priorities.

As I conclude, it is with great honour that we today report on a task given to us, to ensure that we move closer to our goal of free movement for the African people.

At the Summit in January 2016 this year, you decided that we must launch the African Passport. We are making this start with our Heads of State and Government, with Foreign Ministers, the leadership of the RECs and Organs.

But, we’ve been overwhelmed by requests, and enquiries of other Ministers, officials, and Africans citizens to share in this privilege of holding an African passport.

We will therefor suggest to the Summit for consideration, as we launch the African passport today, that we agree to create the conditions for Member states to issue the passport to their citizens, within their national policies, as and when they are ready.

It is therefore my distinct honour to present the African passports to the Chairperson of the African Union, His Excellency President Idriss Deby and to our Host, His Excellency President Paul Kagame.

Our teams during the cause of the two days shall capture the details of other Excellencies Heads of State and Government, so that you too shall receive your African passports.

I would like to say most humbly, on behalf of the Commission and myself: Thank you, Asante sane, Shukran, Merci beaucoup, Muchos obrigade, Mura koze chane