By Damilola Abiola
The African Union (AU) on Wednesday opened a key preparatory policy meeting in Addis Ababa, with senior officials warning of mounting fiscal pressures, staffing shortages and widening geopolitical risks affecting the continent’s development agenda.
The 52nd Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC) brings together African ambassadors to review reports and prepare decisions ahead of upcoming ministerial and leadership meetings, including the AU Executive Council session later this month in Egypt.
Opening the session, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said member states were grappling with “multifaceted challenges,” ranging from global supply chain disruptions and macroeconomic instability to conflicts, health emergencies and delays in critical imports such as fertilisers.
He also pointed to external shocks, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, saying such developments were complicating continental planning and economic stability.
Despite the pressures, Youssouf said the Commission would intensify reform efforts and implement contingency measures, including tighter fiscal controls and an austerity-focused 2027 budget.
He warned that the AU was operating with only about 30% of its required staffing capacity and roughly a quarter of its intended budget, including funding from statutory member contributions.
“The African Union should have the necessary human and financial resources to attain the objectives of Agenda 2063,” Youssouf said. “The Commission is ready to find, together with you, the appropriate solutions to take up these challenges together.”
He appealed to member states for greater solidarity and financial support to ensure the bloc can meet its long-term development blueprint, Agenda 2063, which aims to transform Africa’s economies and governance systems over the coming decades.
Burundi’s ambassador to Ethiopia and PRC chairperson, Willy Nyamitwe, urged delegates to prioritise unity and institutional effectiveness, warning against national positions that could weaken continental cohesion.
He said Africa’s political and economic landscape was being reshaped by rapid technological change and rising public expectations, adding that the AU must respond with greater urgency and coherence.
“Unity is not merely a virtue but a weapon,” Nyamitwe said, adding that history would judge the committee on its ability to strengthen institutions rather than on speeches alone.
“History will remember whether we strengthened the institutions entrusted to us. It will remember whether we chose solidarity over division and vision over hesitation,” he said.
The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Commission Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi, AU commissioners, and senior officials.
The PRC will now examine reports from AU sub-committees and organs before forwarding draft decisions to the Executive Council, which is scheduled to meet in El Alamein, Egypt, later in June.