The African Union (AU) have elected Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye as its chair for 2026, as leaders at the bloc’s 39th summit prioritised water security, institutional reform and peace issues with direct implications for Nigeria.
Ndayishimiye takes over the rotating leadership from Angola’s President João Lourenço at the close of the two-day Assembly of Heads of State and Government held at the AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital.
The summit convened under the theme of ensuring sustainable water availability and safe sanitation systems in line with Agenda 2063, the AU’s long-term development blueprint. Leaders framed access to water as a development, public health and security imperative across a continent facing climate stress, rapid urbanisation and conflict.
For Nigeria, the focus on water security resonates domestically, where uneven access to potable water, environmental degradation and farmer–herder tensions remain pressing challenges. Abuja has also consistently backed stronger continental coordination on infrastructure and climate resilience.
Addressing the assembly, AU Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf warned of “mounting geopolitical turbulence,” persistent conflicts, and a resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government in parts of Africa. He urged member states to accelerate political and economic integration while reducing reliance on external financing.
“Institutional reform and financial self-reliance are now imperative as external funding declines,” he said, calling for improved domestic resource mobilisation and faster implementation of flagship projects in industrialisation, agriculture, energy and infrastructure.
Opening the summit as outgoing chair, Lourenço stressed the need to “silence the guns”, citing crises in Sudan, the Sahel, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. Instability in the Sahel carries particular security relevance for Nigeria, which continues to confront insurgency and cross-border armed groups in its northern regions.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged African states to shift from reacting to global developments to actively shaping the international agenda, highlightingthe importance of technological sovereignty and continental confidence as the AU approaches its 25th anniversary.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reaffirmed support for deeper UN–AU cooperation and renewed calls for reform of the UN Security Council to ensure stronger African representation a long-standing position championed by Nigeria and other African powers.
The new AU bureau for 2026 will include Ghana as first vice-chair, Tanzania as second vice-chair, a North African state to be confirmed as third vice-chair, and Angola as rapporteur.
Deliberations continue with water security and peace efforts at the forefront, as member states seek to align continental ambitions with domestic priorities and fiscal realities.
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