African Union Summit Research Articles

Tackling breast cancer where almost no care is available. A Europe-Africa partnership

Abstract Background African and European societies share similar challenges, such as the growing cancer burden, and are committed to equity and women's health, as highlighted at the 2022 EU - African Union summit. Breast cancer - the most common cancer worldwide and the leading cause of cancer death among women - disproportionately affects individuals in low-resource settings such as Malawi, where only 9.5% of patients survive beyond 18 months. Early detection and treatment could bring hope and extend the healthy lives of these women. The Akazi project, a collaboration between partners from Ireland and Malawi, is implementing a health systems platform to achieve this goal. Methods Based on the six WHO health systems building blocks framework, a mixed methods health systems capacity assessment was done in Malawi in 2022 to inform the development of a national breast cancer strategy. Results Major gaps were identified in all building blocks, critically in human resources, as no training in breast health was available in the country, and the number of trained health workers was critically low. Only five breast surgeons, five oncologists and one pathologist practice nationwide. In response, a breast health course was developed, tested and implemented with endorsement from MoH. Two cohorts of frontline workers have been trained (n = 37). Local health authorities have designed and implemented community breast care awareness activities. Conclusions This simple intervention provides the basis for critical improvements in national breast cancer services in Malawi. Akazi-funded breast health training needs to be rolled out country-wide by the Ministry of Health and significant infrastructure and human resources investments. Technical and financial support from the global North is essential to ensure progress towards Universal Health Care in Africa. Key messages • Bridging inequities in breast cancer outcomes requires systematic health systems strengthening. • EU-Africa research collaborations can fill critical knowledge gaps through systems analyses to guide national cancer control strategies.

Hossou v. Benin (Judgment on Jurisdiction) (Afr. Ct. H.P.R.)

On March 24, 2020, Benin notified the African Union Commission that it was withdrawing from the optional aspect of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (Court) that entitled non-governmental organizations and individuals to bring cases directly to the Court. Benin withdrew due to perceived interference by the Court in a domestic commercial transaction and numerous decisions against Benin involving political opposition, with the state noting “serious incongruities.” Benin also indicated its intention to attempt to reform the Court at the next African Union Summit.

The Addis Declaration on Immunization: A binding reminder of the political support needed to achieve universal immunization in Africa

While African countries have improved access to immunization since the start of the millennium, progress has stagnated in the last few years. One in five African children is not vaccinated with life-saving vaccines, and recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) including yellow fever, measles, and meningitis, among others point to gaps in immunization coverage as well as disease surveillance.In 2017, African Heads of State endorsed the Addis Declaration on Immunization (ADI) at the 28th African Union Summit and committed to ensuring universal access to immunization across the continent. Since then, countries have taken several steps to translate the ADI commitments into tangible progress. However, the continent continues to face challenges in delivering immunization services, including limited vaccine-related funding, inequitable access to immunization services and weak surveillance systems. In the absence of concerted political will, COVID-19 threatens to reverse progress made so far.This paper reflects on the effects of political will in shaping the immunization agenda on the continent and the continued need for political commitment to deliver on the ADI commitments in a post-COVID world. Data were gathered from the regular national immunization reports, WHO/UNICEF estimates of immunization coverage as well as case studies of country implementation on ADI.

To Negotiate or Not-to Negotiate with the FDLR Rebels? President Kikwete and Tanzania’s Foreign Policy towards Rwanda (2013–2015)

Abstract This article challenges traditional approaches to inter-state relations and reinforces the actor-specific nature of foreign policy analysis. Using individual decision-making theory based on the personalities of key political actors, this article proposes a case study on the foreign policy decision outcome by Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete, in response to the 2013 diplomatic row with Rwanda. Tanzania’s relations with Rwanda have historically been cordial. However, President Kikwete’s proposal for Rwanda to negotiate with the rebel group Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR) at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa in 2013 was not well received by Rwanda. The FDLR is a Hutu rebel outfit based in Eastern DRC, consisting of surviving Hutus who had fled into DRC, after the 1994 genocide. This article argues that in view of the diplomatic row that ensued, Kikwete’s response supports current theories on the role played by a key political actor’s personality in the foreign policy decision-making process.

Assessment of Applying Global Instruments in Nongovernmental Organizations for Environmental Security and Sustainable Development in Developing Countries

Background. Environmental challenges are overwhelming the global communities. Thus, the purpose of the study is to explore how instruments used by the nongovernmental organizations are applied for environmental security and sustainable development in Ethiopia. It addresses issues of how environmental education in context is working to instill the knowledge, skills, awareness, and attitudes of the stakeholders. Recent discussions of the African Union Summit 2020, Africa Agenda 2063, Davos 2020 World Economic Forum, United Nations Agenda 2030, and the Green Economy Strategy in Ethiopia have strongly sought to strengthen environmental education as an instrument of global and local sustainability of the environment and development. Here, the study collected pieces of evidence from environmental programs of a nongovernmental organization in Ethiopia. The study focused on a nonformal environmental education, based on the frameworks of the agreements and declarations where Ethiopia is a contracting party. The frameworks are guiding concepts to investigate the phenomenon. Methods. The study used a thematic analysis based on empirical studies. Specifically, empirical studies from primary and secondary sources on the implementation of environment and forest development programs of the organization are crucial to providing a concrete presentation. Results. Empirical pieces of evidence show that the organization plans, projects, and performance reports were found inconsistent with the frameworks of international agreements and national policy. The empirical study also shows that environmental education is not well considered and institutionalized in the organization's project planning. Environmental education strategies are not explicitly visible while planning the projects. Moreover, in some implementation strategies of the organization, there was inconsistency in using environmental education as a strategic instrument to improve environmental security and quality. Conclusion. The organization's environmental performance was deep-rooted to improve the status quo in the living community. However, the utilization of environmental education was discovered to be minimal. Thus, stakeholders and the organization take the advice to integrate into the entire cycle of the project.

African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement – Does the Facts Support the Benefits for Nigeria?

Hesitantly, but finally, Nigeria joined the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with the Nigerian President, Mohammadu Buhari, signing the protocol at the African Union Summit in Niamey on July 7, 2019 based on perceived benefits. This study interrogated the purported benefits for Nigeria using standard trade costs between Nigeria and peer countries in Africa. Using a content analytical framework on a dataset by World Development Indicators and World Integrated Trade Solutions, the study found that average tariff rate in Nigeria is very high when compared to that of her major trading rivals in Africa like Ghana, Egypt and South Africa. Furthermore, the study found Nigeria in a comparative disadvantaged position on the ease of doing business in the same setting. Also, Nigeria’s major export commodity is crude oil and lubricants which has little or no market in the continent. Besides, trade-related infrastructure, especially roads and maritime corridors, in Nigeria is poor even by African standards. With these structural problems, ipso facto, Nigeria may not benefit maximally and comparatively in the enlarged continental market envisioned by the AfCFTA agreement. The study therefore, recommended that Nigerian government should continue to maintain the present cautious approach and refrain from making further commitments on the AfCFTA deal. In the meantime, the country should embark on massive infrastructural and trade-related development, improve the ease of doing business and diversify the economy in order to be in vintage position to exploit the potential opportunities offered by the AfCFTA in the medium-to-long term horizon.

Harnessing Africa’s Demographic Dividend

The 28th African Union Summit declared “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through investments in youth” as its theme, which connects the “Agenda 2063” that offers a comprehensive development vision for Africa.

The Dislocation of Malian Territory

Although the official theme of the latest African Union Summit in Nouakchott, Mauritania, was “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation,” the deadly car bomb attacks in the towns of Sévaré and Gao in Mali against the French military operation Barkhane and at the headquarters of the G5 Sahel Force overshadowed the first day of the gathering and were a cruel reminder of the unresolved issues of peace and security on the African continent.On July 29, 2018, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta ran for and won a second term. His decision to run was widely expected, but he justified it by claiming that his mission is not yet complete because of the complexity of the crisis that began in 2012 and the limited achievements of the international coalition since then. Six years after the coup d’etat that overthrew the government of President Amadou Toumani Touré on March 22, 2012, and the breakdown of state control, there is no sign of a comprehensive and peaceful resolution of the crisis. Insecurity has spread to the center and the south of the country, while humanitarian funding has decreased over the past several years. This downward spiral leaves little room for dialog and seems to have locked the country into an endless circle of violence.

UN signals new era of partnership with Africa

With United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as a guest at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in his first month in office in January 2017, and then again this January past, the UN is signaling a new era of partnership with the regional body and with the continent.

The Behavioral‐Economics Basis of Mutual Accountability to Achieve Food Security

AbstractMutual accountability is a social construct designed to overcome informational, transactional, and enforcement barriers to alignment and coordination among development stakeholders. In Africa, it has been implemented at the country and regional levels and will be presented at the African Union Summit in January 2018. However, the literature contains little on either the conceptual underpinnings of mutual accountability or its implementation in the African agricultural development context. Therefore, we reviewed the literature on mutual accountability to articulate its behavioral economics foundations. We also tested predictions using an adapted Prisoner's Dilemma model. We found several implications of mutual accountability for African development strategy within and beyond agricultural policy, including the importance of changing initial conditions to include cooperative action, the potential impermanence of cooperative action, and the importance of a critical mass of cooperating agents for maximum synergy. Finally, evidence suggests that mutual accountability processes increase the likelihood of achieving cooperative outcomes.Related Articles Raile, Eric D., Amber N. W. Raile, Charles T. Salmon, and Lori Ann Post. 2014. “.” Politics & Policy 42 (): 103‐130. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12063/abstract Post, Lori Ann, Amber N. W. Raile, and Eric D. Raile. 2010. “.” Politics & Policy 38 (): 653‐676. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2010.00253.x/abstract Elliot‐Teague, Ginger. 2011. “.” Politics & Policy 39 (): 835‐861. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2011.00318.x/abstract Related Media . 2014. “Mutual Accountability Explained.” http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/newfunct/pdf14/ma_guidance_note.pdf This Place. 2014. “The Prisoner's Dilemma.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Lo2fgxWHw Post, Lori Ann. 2017. “.” The World Bank. https://blogs.worldbank.org/publicsphere/generating-political-will-and-public-will-positive-social-change

Impacts of Bureaucratic Corruption on Socio-Political and Economic Development in Africa

“Corruption deprives our young citizens of opportunities to develop meaningful livelihoods.” The aforesaid was spoken by the Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari at the 30th African Union Summit which took place at the beginning of 2018. The goal of the summit was to construct new ways to end corruption and promote transparency on the part of Government and the society. Africa has been a victim of corruption for decades now. According to Transparency International, 80% of the African Population earns less than $2 per day. With such low level of income, the inhabitants must face daily struggle to procure food and address basic health issues. The Government is deeply exhausted trying to find ways to fix the problem of corruption as it is rotting the nation from the inside.

A SIGN OF THE TIMES: SOUTH AFRICA’S POLITICO-LEGAL RETROGRESSION AS ILLUSTRATED THROUGH THE INTENTION TO WITHDRAW FROM THE ROME STATUTE

Sending the unequivocal message that perpetrators of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes would be prosecuted, South Africa was an active participant in the negotiations towards adopting the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC). Indeed, South Africa was the 23rd state to ratify the treaty and domesticated it in the form of the Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act 27 of 2002. Pursuant to the obligations undertaken by South Africa, it was incumbent on the state to arrest and surrender to the ICC the President of Sudan, Omar Al Bashir in June 2015, on the strength of two international arrest warrants issued against him by the ICC, when he attended the African Union Summit in South Africa. Instead, not only was Al Bashir’s sudden departure from South Africa facilitated by South African officials in contempt of a court order prohibiting same, but South Africa also deposited its instrument of withdrawal from the Rome Statute with the United Nations Secretary General soon afterwards. It is against this contextual background that South Africa’s failure to comply with the rule of law is assessed, with the evidence indicating that political considerations often outweigh legal obligations.

The Dog that Didn't Bark: The Curious Silence of the UN Security Council on Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir

Al-Bashir’s latest travel to South Africa for the African Union Summit 2015, besides demonstrating afresh ICC’s weakness in the arena of enforcement; also acutely highlights the lack of initiative on part of the UNSC to facilitate Al-Bashir’s arrest. And in our parallel narration of the Silver Blaze, UNSC is the watchdog. That didn’t bark.

Rethinking and reforming the African Union Commission elections

Recently, in July 2012, the high-profile and bitterly fought nine-month race for the post of Chair of the African Union (AU) Commission, between Dr Jean Ping of Gabon, and his main challenger, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, culminated in the latter's victory. Her victory came after the deadlock at the Eighteenth AU Summit in January 2012. Borne out of the considered need for a quick fix through reliance on a vote of expediency, the election of Dr Dlamini-Zuma represented a political resolution to the crisis that arose due to the earlier ongoing electoral deadlock. Far from being a competitive election by design, the 2012 AU Commission election by default became transformed into an intensely fought campaign that put the AU in the limelight. This article briefly introduces the electoral process, explains in detail the voting behaviour of AU member states, and offers five specific reasons for the victory of Dr Dlamini-Zuma. On the surface the election looks very competitive, but the article explains why this is not the case. To create greater competition for these posts, the AU needs to overhaul the nomination process and the voting procedure. In this regard, the article proffers detailed analysis and proposes a radical revision of the existing criteria for the nomination. The article also proposes specific recommendations for the amendment of the rules of procedure of the AU Assembly to allow for a qualified majority as a deadlock breaker in the fifth round. It also assesses whether the integrity of the AU Commission election was damaged during the campaigning and voting process. In this regard, it recommends the development of a code of conduct for future elections at the AU.

Malaria control in the African Region: perceptions and viewspoints on proceedings of the Africa Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA)

BackgroundIn 2009 a total of 153,408 malaria deaths were reported in Africa. Eleven countries showed a reduction of more than 50% in either confirmed malaria cases or malaria admissions and deaths in recent years. However, many African countries are not on track to achieve the malaria component of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 6. The African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) working session at the 15th African Union Summit discussed the bottlenecks to achieving MDG 6 (specifically halting and beginning to reverse the incidence of malaria by 2015), success factors, and what countries needed to do to accelerate achievement of the MDG. The purpose of this article is to reflect on the proceedings of the ALMA working session.MethodsWorking methods of the session included speeches and statements by invited speakers and high-level panel discussions.DiscussionThe main bottlenecks identified related to the capacity of the health systems to deliver quality care and accessibility issues; need for strong, decentralized malaria-control programmes with linkages with other health and development sectors, the civil society and private sector entities; benefits of co-implementation of malaria control programmes with child survival or other public health interventions; systematic application of integrated promotive, preventive, diagnostic and case management interventions with full community participation; adapting approaches to local political, socio-cultural and administrative environments.The following prerequisites for success were identified: a clear vision and effective leadership of national malaria control programmes; high level political commitment to ensure adequate capacity in expertise, skill mix and number of managers, technicians and service providers; national ownership, intersectoral collaboration and accountability, as well as strong civil society and private sector involvement; functional epidemiological surveillance systems; and levering of African Union and regional economic communities to address the cross-border dimension of malaria control.It was agreed that countries needed to secure adequate domestic and external funding for sustained commitment to malaria elimination; strengthen national malaria control programmes in the context of broader health system strengthening; ensure free access to long-lasting insecticide treated nets and malaria diagnosis and treatment for vulnerable groups; strengthen human resource capacity at central, district and community levels; and establish strong logistics, information and surveillance systems.ConclusionIt is critically important for countries to have a clear vision and strategy for malaria elimination; effective leadership of national malaria control programmes; draw lessons from other African countries that have succeeded to dramatically reduce the burden of malaria; and sustain funding and ongoing interventions.

Women’s and children’s health: from pledges to action

It has been a landmark year for the health of women and children. The world is making important progress in reducing the number of children dying from preventable causes. After six decades of little progress in reducing under-five mortality to less than 10 million, this past decade has seen a steady decline in child deaths.1,2 The publication of new maternal mortality data confirmed that since 1990 there has been a decline of one-third in the numbers of women dying in childbirth,3,4 showing that progress on Millennium Development Goal 5 is being made. For the first time – through the Muskoka Initiative led by the Canadian Government – heads of state of the group of 8 countries (G8) committed US$ 5 billion to improving maternal, child and newborn health. The African Union summit focused on “Maternal and Child Health and Development in Africa” and committed to action in their countries through a coordinated campaign to be delivered by the African Union Commission and a new task force that will review progress every year until 2015. The United Nations General Assembly discussed the theme in a special event at which the Secretary-General launched a Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, developed with the support and facilitation of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.5 The main objective of this strategy is to save 16 million lives by 2015 by integrating service delivery and funding platforms, involving a wide range of stakeholders, research and innovation, and tracking progress through an accountability framework. Planned outcomes include: 43 million new users having access to comprehensive family planning and 19 million more women giving birth attended by a skilled health worker with access to necessary infrastructure, drugs, equipment and regulations. The strategy is designed to ensure that 2.2 million additional neonatal infections are treated, 21.9 million additional infants are breastfed, 15.2 million more children are fully immunized in the first year of life and that 117 million more children aged less than five years receive vitamin A supplements. To deliver these interventions, 85 000 more health facilities and up to 3.5 million additional health workers are needed. Success will mean saving the lives of more than 15 million children aged less than five years and of 570 000 women endangered by complications of pregnancy and childbirth, including unsafe abortion. The strategy will prevent 33 million unwanted pregnancies, protect 88 million children aged less than five years from stunting and protect 120 million children from pneumonia. To reach these objectives, governments from developing and developed countries, foundations, civil society organizations, academics, health-care professionals and the private sector pledged more than US$ 40 billion and made policy and service delivery commitments at the United Nations special event. To begin the process of transforming pledges to action, all these groups will participate in this month's Forum of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, hosted by the Government of India. The lives of women and children depend on the choices that are available to them to determine their health and to realize their rights. Only if women are fully empowered with the knowledge and means to take action for themselves and their children will this transformation succeed. At the global level, these actions depend on the availability of effective, efficient and equitable mechanisms for funding and service delivery. One of the key outcomes of the Forum will be agreement on the principles and actions required to ensure mutual accountability for realizing the results to which all stakeholders committed themselves in the Global Strategy. Tracking commitments and ensuring accountability will require actions at many different levels – community, national, agency and international. The World Health Organization has been tasked to chair a process to determine the most effective arrangements for global reporting, oversight and accountability on women's and children's health.5 The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health brings together many of the key global institutions and actors – governments, United Nations organizations, donor agencies, professional associations, academics and civil society – who will need to carry out the work. We see the Forum as an opportunity for all partners to take inspiration from the landmark events of 2010 for women’s and children’s health. We then need to reinvigorate our efforts and hold each other accountable if we are to realize our shared global commitments to health, development and human rights.

The quest for a union government of Africa: reflections on the vision and the realities of political integration

The study examines the perennial effort by African leaders and their people to attain a union government of Africa and eventually, a United States of Africa. Amidst a history of actual work and pragmatic choices by Pan-Africanists in the past who demonstrated better commitment and industry to this vision, the project cannot be dismissed as frivolous. Details of the recent Accra Declaration that concluded the African Union Summit in July 2007 reveal inherently difficult choices that African leaders have to make. These include tackling issues of sovereignty, territoriality, national laws versus sub-regional and African Union protocols that pervade constitutional arrangements across the continent. Issues of finance, engaging the African people, the political will and commitment of political elites are vital ingredients for the integration effort. The study reflects on the demand for a radical approach in attaining outcomes but opts for moderation backed with pragmatic choices. Even then, the regional economic communities (RECs), considered pillars of the integration process, must be well structured and given pronounced visibility and viability in order to achieve results.

A New Dawn for Science in Africa

When Africa's heads of state met in January for the 8th African Union summit, science, technology, and sustainable development were the main topics of discussion. This week they meet again, this time to explore the prospects for creating a union government. A United States of Africa remains a far-off dream. But growing cross-national integration is not, and science and technology are poised to play a fundamental role in such efforts.

African Leaders Endorse Science Initiatives

AFRICAN SCIENCEPRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA-- At last week's African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the heads of state approved initiatives aimed at bolstering research and increasing the continent's clout on intellectual-property issues. ([Read more][1].) [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/315/5813/748a

Enlisting business support for Africa’s millennium goals

Africa will not be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) unless it is able to mobilize all stakeholders, including the private sector, concluded more than 200 participants at a conference in London on 4 July. Coming on the eve of the Group of Eight summit in Scotland and on the same day as the opening of the African Union summit in Libya, the event formally launched a project of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), “Bending the Arc,” which aims to encourage businesses in Africa to advance the MDGs. The meeting was organized by the NEPAD Secretariat, the African Business Roundtable (ABR) and the United Nations. It also received sponsorship from Coca-Cola, Visa International, Nestlé and other corporations.