The Committee meeting of chiefs of state and government have elaborated a draft timetable for the establishment of the Government of the African Union (AU), last Thursday the 23rd of May, in Ngurdoto, Tanzania. At the meeting, Presidents Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Umaru Yar’Adua of Nigeria, Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda took part in this meeting.
According to the chairman of the AU Commission, Jean Ping, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, a member of the Committee, has also attended the meeting which examined the contents of the Government of the Union and its relations with national governments, identifying its areas of competence and impact its creation on the sovereignty of African states.
Moreover, the meeting in Ngurdoto has defined the relationship between the Government of the Union and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), developed a roadmap and timetable for the creation of the Government of the Union and identified other sources of funding EU activities.
At the opening of the conference, which lasted two days, the head of state of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, has expressed the hope that the meeting will succeed in reconciling the two schools of thought that exist in relation to the question of a pan-African government, namely those who want its immediate establishment and those who prefer a gradual approach.
The conclusions of the meeting will be presented at the next AU Summit in Egypt in July.
