By Rosemary Nwankpa, Abuja
The Federal Government has intensified efforts to secure greater representation for Nigerians within the African Union (AU) system, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, urging increased appointments of qualified Nigerians into key positions across the continental body.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu made the appeal during a bilateral meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, ahead of the 49th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council.
According to a statement posted on the minister’s official X account, the meeting focused on Nigeria’s role within the AU, appointments of Nigerians into the AU system, regional political developments, and Africa’s socio-economic future.
“We discussed issues relating to Nigeria’s role within the African Union, the appointment of Nigerians into the AU system, regional political developments, and Africa’s socio-economic future,” the minister stated.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu commended Youssouf’s leadership of the African Union Commission, describing it as dynamic and people-centred.
She noted that his stewardship had brought renewed energy and a humane approach to the administration of the continental organisation.
Both leaders also reviewed the security situation in West Africa and the Sahel, with discussions centring on the region’s persistent peace, security and humanitarian challenges.
In his remarks, Youssouf praised Nigeria’s longstanding leadership within both the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), particularly its contributions to counter-terrorism efforts and the promotion of regional peace, stability and integration.
He observed that Africa continues to face significant demographic and economic challenges and stressed the need to drive innovation, create jobs, strengthen agriculture and the services sector, and invest more aggressively in artificial intelligence to achieve sustainable development.
The AUC Chairperson also expressed concern over the continent’s limited investment in artificial intelligence, describing it as a critical area for Africa’s future competitiveness.
He cited the investments of the Dangote Group across several African countries as a model of African-led industrialisation that is deepening regional integration, promoting self-reliance in strategic sectors and creating employment opportunities.
Nigeria remains one of the largest contributors to African Union peacekeeping operations and a major financier of ECOWAS interventions across the region.
Despite these contributions, concerns have persisted over the relatively low number of Nigerians occupying senior and technical positions within the African Union Commission and its agencies.
The 49th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council is expected to deliberate on key continental issues, including peace and security in the Sahel, implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), financing for development, youth employment, digital transformation and intra-African trade.
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