President Paul Kagame on Friday arrived in Nouakchott, Mauritania where he is expected to chair the African Union Summit. On arrival, Kagame was received by his counterpart President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania. In his capacity as the current chair of the African Union, he is expected to chair the 31st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. The summit is scheduled for Sunday and Monday. This year’s Summit is running under the theme ‘Combating Corruption: A sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation’. The summit was preceded by the 33rd ordinary session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), which was chaired by Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo. Executive Council is composed of ministers of foreign affairs of the African Union or other ministers duly accredited by their governments of the member states. Among the items on the agenda at the summit include an update of the African Union reforms process which is being spearheaded by President Kagame. The Heads of State and Government will receive proposals on ways to end violence and crises in different parts of the region, including in South Sudan, Central African Republic, Mali, western Cameroon and Western Sahara. The bloc has registered several achievements in recent times. Key achievements include the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area by 44 African nations earlier this year in Kigali with the aim of eliminating barriers to trade, the agreement on movement of people across Africa, and significant improvement in the budget process. Progress is also being made with regards to the 0.2 per cent levy on eligible imports to each member state which was introduced to ensure the AU finances its activities. Currently, the levy is being implemented by close to half of the continent.
