The Pan Afrikanist Watchman
The 38th Summit of Heads of State and Government kicked off today (February 15, 2025) in the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the cradle of humankind and bastion of Pan Afrikanism.
This year’s Summit is held under the highly-contentious theme, ‘Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.”
The two-day summit is significant in that it will usher in a new Chairperson of the African Union Commission as the Chadian national, H.E Musa Faki Mahamat bows out after eight years at the helm of the continental body.
It also marks the handover of the Chairmanship of the African Union from the Mauritanian President, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani to Angola’s President, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço.
In a show of enduring solidarity with the peoples of Palestine, today’s auspicious occasion was graced by the President of the State of State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas.
It was also graced by the Chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the Prime Minister of Barbados, Her Excellency Mia Amor Mottley as well as the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres and heads of Africa’s regional economic communities as well as Heads of State and Government of Africa.
The Summit comes at a pivotal time when geopolitical tensions are playing out in Africa with the ascendance of Donald Trump to the White House early this year who has since shaken Africa with his decision to withdraw US financial aid to African countries including pulling out USAID support in African countries.
It is hoped that the Summit will spell out the way forward for Africa’s Continental Free Trade Agreement, as well as to instil a sense of self-reliance and the need to mobilise domestic resources for the development of Africa under the aegis of Agenda 2063.
