The two-day 48th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) has officially opened today in Addis Ababa, with a call on Foreign Ministers from across the continent to engage into devoted deliberations that will reflect the aspirations of the African continent.
The deliberations at the high-level ministerial meeting will prepare the platform for the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, slated for February 14 and 15, 2026 at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Chairperson of the Executive Council, Tete Antonia, said during the official opening that the meeting plays a vital role in shaping the strategic direction of the AU by coordinating and reviewing key policy areas of common interest to member states.
Zambia is being represented in the council meeting by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe, who is accompanied by his Permanent Secretary for International Relations and Cooperation, Etambuyu Gundersen and Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU as well as United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Albert Muchanga.
Mr Haimbe said the theme for this year’s ordinary session of the African Union summit, ‘Assuring sustainable water availability and safe sanitation to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063’, is of critical importance to Zambia.
“As you all know, the absence of energy, which is for us as a country, driven through the hydro facilities that we have, becomes a security challenge. This is one of the themes which this particular African Union summit will be looking at,” he said.
ZANIS reports that the outcomes of the Executive Council session will directly inform the decisions and declarations to be adopted by Heads of State and Government during their meeting this weekend.
