Angolan President João Lourenço Takes Helm as African Union Chairperson

Angolan President João Lourenço has been elected as the new chairperson of the African Union (AU), succeeding Mauritania’s Mohamed Cheikh El Ghazouani.

Lourenço, who will serve a one-year term, vowed to prioritize infrastructure development, improve power supply, and address key issues affecting the living conditions of Africans.

“We will prioritize infrastructure, including airports, ports, and railways. We will also improve power supply and address key issues affecting the living conditions of our people,” Lourenço said in his acceptance speech at the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The AU chairmanship rotates annually among the five African regions, and Angola is assuming the role for the first time.

Lourenço takes charge amid pressing peace and security challenges across the continent, alongside an ambitious development agenda.

He called for cooperation from member states, vowing to tackle conflicts, terrorism, climate change, and disease outbreaks.

This year’s AU theme is “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.”

The theme aims to advance the continent’s reparatory justice agenda, with officials and experts urging concrete steps to ensure full accountability for historical injustices against Africans and people of African descent.

Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, harped on the significance of dedicating 2025 to the cause of reparatory justice.

“This moment marks a significant milestone in our collective pursuit of justice, equity, and the long overdue recognition of historical injustices that continue to shape the lives of Africans and people of African descent worldwide,” Ablakwa said.