Shava attends AU Council Meeting

Farirai Machivenyika

Senior Reporter

FOREIGN Affairs and International Trade Minister, Ambassador Frederick Shava, left for Ghana yesterday for the 45th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) executive council.

The meeting will be held in Ghana’s capital, Accra.

It begins today and ends tomorrow.

He was accompanied by Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, who will attend a side event on gender and advocacy.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said the meeting is meant to approve the body’s 2025 budget, among other issues.

“The key objective of the executive council meeting in Accra is to consider and approve the AU Budget for 2025. This budget is critical for carrying out the AU’s mandate, including implementing Agenda 2063 and its major programmes, as well as the silencing of the guns campaign.

“Ambassador Shava’s involvement demonstrates Zimbabwe’s continued support for Agenda 2063’s second 10-year implementation plan. It also underlines the significance of strengthening the AU and its organs, while gaining financial independence, a critical step towards resolving the continent’s developmental difficulties,” reads part of the statement.

The executive council will also reflect on the AU’s participation in the forthcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit, which will be held in Brazil in November and will also examine AU priorities inside the G20 framework and look into resource mobilisation ways to enhance its participation.

Ambassador Shava plans to use his time in Ghana to hold bilateral conversations with counterparts from South Africa, the Seychelles, Algeria and the AU deputy chairperson Dr Monique Nsanzabaganwa.

“These discussions will centre on AU-related issues, particularly the implementation of Agenda 2063 and its flagship initiatives,” further reads the statement.