Ruto Proposes Directive to AUC to Conclude Review of 42 Entities In First Assignment for Mahmoud Yousouff

President William Ruto on Sunday, February 16, proposed one of the first assignments for the newly sworn-in African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Yousouff.

While delivering his report on AU institutional reforms on the sidelines of the 38th Ordinary Assembly of the AU, Ruto proposed that the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC), tasked with assessing 42 AU entities earmarked for reforms, be directed to conclude their report by July.

“Excellencies, it is evident that progress has been made in restructuring AU organs, institutions, and offices. Of the 57 AU entities earmarked for reform, 42 have been assessed, and the report is currently under consideration by the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC),” part of the statement read.

“I, therefore, propose that this Assembly direct the PRC, with the support of the AUC, to conclude its review of the 42 entities and submit a report to the Executive Council during its session in July 2025.”

President Ruto was presenting the report after being entrusted with championing institutional reforms within the AU in 2024.

According to him, he had since engaged key stakeholders in his quest to progress the union’s reform agenda.

These engagements included discussions with the leadership of the African Union Commission, led by the immediate former Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat; the AU Institutional Reform Unit Secretariat; the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) in Addis Ababa; the AU High Representative for Financing the Union; and the leadership of the Pan Africa Parliament (PAP).

“Additionally, on January 27, 2025, I convened a High-Level Retreat in Nairobi, attended by the Presidents of Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia, and Ghana, alongside the AUC Chairperson and Foreign Ministers from Mauritania, Rwanda, and Tunisia,” part of the statement read.

“The resounding message from these consultations was clear and unequivocal: Africa must complete its reform process with urgency and decisiveness.”

In his submission, Ruto also asked the assembly to ask the relevant AU stakeholders to expedite the implementation of recommendations made in the report on the division of Labour between the AU, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and Member States which was completed in December 2024 and submitted to the AUC Chairperson by July.

Earlier in the day Ruto chaired a meeting of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change where he offered up Kenya to host the second summit if no other country was up for it. 

“We will agree at this forum where we are going to hold the next African Summit. If there is a country that is willing to host, it is okay with us. If there is none, Kenya will be willing to host the 2nd African Summit,” Ruto stated.