Raila Odinga took his campaign for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission to Eritrea on Friday, where he held talks with President Isaias Afwerki.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga faces off with his opponents in a live debate on Friday in a defining moment for the candidates vying for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission (AUC).
Dubbed Mjadala Afrika, the debate provides a platform for candidates to address the citizens of Africa. The focus will be on policy issues and a solutions-oriented engagement on how they intend to ensure the aspirations and goals of Agenda 2063 are achieved.
Making his pitch for the high-profile position, Mr Odinga has promised that his vision and priorities will propel Africa to a new era of sustainable peace, integration, shared prosperity and meaningful partnerships.
The former premier said that he is the best bet for Africa.
The eagerly-awaited debate, which will be held at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia will offer all the candidates an opportunity to articulate their plans.
It will be conducted in all the six official working languages of the AU; English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili.
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided to the candidates and the audience as well as the broadcast and digital platform channels.
Mr Odinga’s opponents for the high-stakes contest are; Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, former Madagascar Foreign Minister Richard James Randriamandrato and his Mauritius counterpart Anil Kumarsingh Gayan.
But Mr Gayan’s candidacy appears to have hit headwinds after Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam assured President William Ruto of his country’s support for Mr Odinga.
“In collaboration with Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (the national broadcaster of the host country of the AU, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia), the Commission has made arrangements to ensure that every public broadcaster in the AU member states will be able to broadcast the debate live, in any of the six AU languages,” the Commission said.
It also said that the broadcast will be available on satellite television Multichoice Africa / DSTV Africa.
“DSTV Africa will provide two pop-up channels specific for the live broadcast of Mjadala Afrika in English and French. It should be noted that Mjadala Afrika will be available on the free to Air Channels of National Broadcasters who are also on the DSTV platform and who will be broadcasting the live debate on the specific channel that is on the DSTV platform.”
The AU noted that it will also be available on digital platforms as well as on the commission’s social media accounts and the Consumer News and Business Channel Africa (CNBC Africa).
Mr Odinga has in the past few weeks stepped up his campaigns for the position, criss-crossing West Africa to drum up support for his bid. Yesterday, he engaged in discussions with Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita in Rabat in his quest for the Maghreb nation’s support.
Mr Odinga said that the discussions focused on strategies to promote peace, stability, and development across Africa.
He will continue with his tour of the North African region to garner support for his candidacy.
On Friday last week, Mr Odinga met Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in Asmara where he presented his vision and explained why he is the right person for the top job.
“My vision is to strengthen the bonds of Pan-Africanism through the AU by enhancing connectivity to facilitate the movement of people and goods. We must take advantage of the moment to expand opportunities for the African youth,” Mr Odinga said.
Pan-Africanism
He emphasized the need to strengthen the bonds of Pan-Africanism through the AU and the importance of Africans meeting the urgency of the moment by expanding the ladders of opportunity for African youth.
He also emphasized the need for a united African front in climate negotiations to safeguard the interests of African countries severely impacted by climate change-related disasters.
Advocating for a bold new vision, he presented his plan in which Africa invests in key transcontinental road and railway infrastructure and outlined a plan to establish open skies across the continent.
Additionally, he articulated his strategy to reduce energy costs by prioritizing clean energy projects on the continent.
Mr Odinga has set out 10 priority areas as his program of action for the continent should he be elected in February next year’s election.
Among the 10- priority areas include; peace and security, infrastructure, economic transformation, harnessing Africa’s youth potential, gender equity and equality, and agricultural transformation.
“We must return unity to the top of our priorities. Without unity in a fast-consolidating and changing world, Africa will continue to be marginalised, exploited and irrelevant,” he warned during his AUC campaign launch in Addis Ababa last month.
Africa is huge, and the infrastructure down on the roads and highways and railways are not yet fully developed, he said.
But for the skies, which are free, each country has its own traffic control, explaining it is a hindrance to development as it makes air transport expensive in Africa as compared to Europe.
The youth, Mr Odinga said, is the biggest asset that Africa has because 70 per cent of them were below the age of 35.
“This can be an asset, or it can also be a challenge. Because the youth, if they are not empowered, they become a drag on the economy. They become drug addicts, they become criminals,” the former Premier said, empowering them they become the biggest resource.
“But we first need to give the youth the requisite tools that they require to be able to create wealth for our continent,” he said.
He said he envisions a continent whose progress is driven by its own people and that pushes to be a dynamic, influential and respected force in the international arena.
“Africa’s Agenda 2063 cannot be achieved unless the multilateral normative frameworks that speak to marginalization, exclusion, and discrimination against women and girls are fully implemented. Throughout my life, I have been an indefatigable champion of the rights of women and girls. As Chairperson of AUC, I will prioritize gender equity and equality, including opportunity, dignity, and security for women and girls across the continent.”
Food insecure
Africa, Mr Odinga argues, has the world’s largest arable land, yet it remains food insecure.
“The continent needs to catalyse a transformative shift in its agri-food systems to cultivate more efficient, inclusive, and resilient agricultural practices.
“I will promote agricultural transformation through championing sustainable food production, agribusiness, and the modernization of agriculture to reinforce food security, foster job creation, and enhance rural livelihoods. Partnerships have a critical role to play in promoting global market access that will reinforce this transformation, he says.
Mr Odinga has also promised to address the “catastrophic climate change and its detrimental impact on Africa's development”.
He argues that despite Africa's minimal contribution to global emissions, it suffers disproportionately from the impacts of greenhouse gases.
African people, he adds, must not pay for a problem that they had no part in creating.
“Together let us advocate for Africa’s central role in global initiatives for climate action, including adaptation, mitigation, and building resilience informed by climate science.”
“I also commit to mobilising support for enhanced early warning systems and rapid responses to climate-induced shocks. Further, I will promote climate-positive investments and financing, leverage renewable energy resources, and integrate climate-smart strategies into our economic plans to secure a sustainable future for Africa and beyond.”
