By Gift Obiajuru Ukadikebuazua
The President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), departs Nigeria for Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, to attend the fifth mid-year coordination meeting of the African Union (AU).
Some senior government officials traveled with the President. According to the office of the President, the Nigerian President, as the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), will join Heads of State and Government, Foreign Ministers of the African Union (AU) Member-States, and high-profile individuals at the mid-year meeting which will be held on Sunday, July 16th, 2023.
The fifth mid-year coordination meeting, convened under the 2023 theme of the AU, tagged “Acceleration of African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) Implementation,” will include heads of the AU assembly, such as the Heads of State and Government from Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, and Senegal, as well as the leaders of the eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
These RECs include ECOWAS, presided over by Nigeria, the East African Community (EAC), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Community of Sahel–Saharan States (CEN SAD), the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
President Tinubu will present a report on the status of regional integration in ECOWAS, highlighting actions taken during the period under review by ECOWAS institutions, member states, the private sector, and other stakeholders to strengthen integration through infrastructure development, trade, free movement of persons, peace, stability, and security.
Dele Alake, the spokesperson of the President of Nigeria, stated in a statement released on Friday that the meeting will also include the African Union Commission (AUC) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs).
It is believed that the President will return to the country after the African Union meeting on Sunday.