AU Announces Election of 2 New Commissioners

ADDIS ABABA, Xinhua: The African Union (AU) has announced the completion of the election of all eight members of the top leadership of its secretariat, the African Union Commission (AUC).

In a statement, the AU declared the election of two commissioners at its seventh Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, which was held in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, from July 10 to 13.

Francisca Tatchouop Belobe from Equatorial Guinea has been appointed as AU commissioner for economic development, trade, tourism, industry, and minerals, while Gaspard Banyankimbona from Burundi was elected as AU commissioner for education, science, technology, and innovation, according to the AU.

The election of the two posts was postponed at the AU’s 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, which was held in February in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The pan-African bloc said the new commissioners will be sworn in at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.

The AU said the new commissioners were selected from the central African region, as per a decision of its Executive Council, to ensure gender parity, predictable rotation, merit-based selection and equitable distribution of the top eight jobs.

All other regions secured their share of two members of the top leadership team, one male and one female each, in February, the statement noted.

The AUC leadership structure comprises a chairperson, a deputy chairperson, and six commissioners, with the newly completed team to serve from 2025 to 2029.