This past weekend, the African Union held its 34th General Assembly. The summit, which was for the first time conducted virtually, saw the assuming of office of the new Chairperson of the union, President Felix Tshisekedi of DR Congo.

He took over from his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa.

The Heads of State also elected the AU senior executive team, the Commission, with Chadian diplomat Moussa Faki Mahamat re-elected for a second four-year term as Chairperson of the Commission, to be deputized by Monique Nsanzabaganwa, the immediate former Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR).

Others elected were commissioners heading different dockets and the entire team will take charge of the day-to-day management of the continental body.

Most importantly, the new team has been constituted in alignment with the institutional reforms that the African Union endorsed a few years back, reforms that aimed at improving efficiency of the body, to have a more meaningful impact on the people of the continent.

Equally important is that this year, the team is coming in at a time when the continent is going into the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which aims at bolstering intra-Africa trade by expanding the continent into a single trading bloc. The strategic guidance of the commission will be important for the bloc to come into effect and yield the desired outcomes.

2021 is also a year that will lead the continent into the 20 anniversary of the creation of the AU from the previous Organisation of African Unity (OAU); it is, therefore, prudent for the new leadership to take stock of the journey made so far, and strategise for years ahead as the continent strides towards long-term goals enshrined in the Agenda 2063, which aims at transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future.

As the world continues to grapple with the effects of the global pandemic, Covid-19, there has never been a better time to have a more astute leadership than now, when Africa is working collectively to secure the vaccine against the virus.

Chairman Faki and his team, therefore, have their work cut out for them to ensure that Africa is not left behind in the swift procurement of the vaccines when the developed countries – which are the predominant manufacturers – are prioritizing their nationals before they can think of other regions.

We, as Africans, count on the new leadership to ensure these vaccines are delivered on time. They will also be key in steering the continent from the economic devastation caused by the virus, which if not collectively tackled, threatens to derail the continent’s broad development agenda.