President William Ruto was on Saturday designated the African Union Champion for Institutional Reform. He takes over from President Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
Ruto will succeed his Rwandese counterpart Paul Kagame who has served in the role for seven years.
In a statement, the State House said the Assembly of the African Union heads of State and Government bestowed on President Ruto the responsibility of providing political leadership and vision and completing the Comprehensive Institutional Reform Initiative that started in 2016.
In this role, President Ruto will be responsible for reforming the structure, functioning, and focus of the African Union Commission, AU Organs, and Specialised Agencies so that they become more effective and efficient in managing the programs of the African Union.
Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has congratulated President Ruto on the appointment saying it indicates AU’s trust on his visionary leadership.
“Taking over from President @PaulKagame of Rwanda, this new responsibility bestowed upon him by the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government is an affirmation of the continent’s trust in the visionary leadership of President William Ruto,” said Duale.
Ruto flew to Addis Ababa on Friday afternoon to attend the 37th AU Summit Heads of State and Government. During the Summit.
The President is expected to deliver a speech based on strategies to solve the education crisis in Africa. He will also deliver a report on the strides the continent has made in mitigating the climate crisis.
“This includes the Nairobi Declaration, agreed upon during the first-ever Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi last September. The document is Africa’s authoritative blueprint for addressing the climate change crisis and proposes reform of the global financial system as well as the Multilateral Development Banks,” read a statement by State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed.