The Africa Report Debates 2018: Is the African Union a necessity?

African Union

London, UK, February 27, 2018 – The continent’s brightest talents and sharpest intellects will clash in our 6th debate on Friday 27 April from 2.30-5.30pm, at the Kigali Convention Centre in Kigali, Rwanda.

The debate, in partnership with the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, forms part of the Mo Ibrahim Governance Weekend (27-29 April 2018), and will argue: Is the African Union a necessity?

The challenges of the 21st Century – security, demographic, economic, climate — require continental-level organisation. But it can be argued that the African Union has been reduced to a talking shop where little tough negotiation occurs.

Would African countries be better off cutting payments to the AU and focusing on their own national development plans for now? This subject will allow supporters and critics of the AU to put across their views and open up the debate to the larger subject of why the AU was created and what the average citizen is expecting from it.

Following on from our other successful debates in Accra, Geneva, London, Abidjan and Marrakesh, this April debate will feature high profile speakers and experts, with an audience made up of top politicians, business people and activists from across Africa. We will have two main speakers on either side of the debate, as well as expert witnesses in the audience.

Some of the confirmed speakers and experts include:  Donald Kaberuka, Member, Global Leadership Foundation and former president of the African Development Bank;
Dr Carlos Lopes, Professor, Graduate School Of Development, Policy & Practice, University of Cape Town and former Executive secretary, Economic Commission for Africa;  Moïse Katumbi, Congolese politician and businessman. Former Governor of Katanga, DRC and  Acha Leke, Senior partner at McKinsey & Company, South Africa. Co-founder of African Leadership Network.

The debate will be carried by national broadcasters in Rwanda and be followed on our website and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation website, which will carry audio and video footage of the debate.

African Eye Report

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