PROFILE OF THE NEW AUC LEADERSHIP

AU CHAIRPERSON

H.E. Alpha Conde, President of the Republic of Guinea, born on 4 March 1938 was elected as the new Chairperson of the (AU) for 2017. The President Conde has been President of Guinea since December 2010. He succeeds H.E. Idriss Deby Itno of the Republic of who was AU Chairperson in 2016. His election was conducted by the Heads of State and Government of the AU during their 28th Ordinary Session held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

AUC CHAIRPERSON

H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, born on 21 June 1960, the Chadian Minister of Foreign Affair was elected as the new African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson. H.E. Mahamat speaks French, Arabic and English fluently and had occupied very senior positions with a thirty-year (30) experience. This lawyer was a Minister several times; he served as the director of Civil Cabinet of the President of the Republic, Prime Minister, Head of Government, and President of a Grand Institution of the Republic, namely; the Economic,

Social and Cultural Council, where he had to carry out and manage major issues.

H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat chaired the Security Council for the month of December 2015 and general debate on December 19, 2015 on the theme “threats international peace and security; cross-border terrorism and crime”. Furthermore, he also chaired the Peace and Security Council of the AU in September 2013 and steered the Nairobi Extraordinary Summit on the fight against Terrorism. African’s peace and security issues has been at the heart of Mr. Mahamat’s activities and many other missions geared towards the wellbeing of Africa.

The Chairperson of the Commission is the Chief Executive Officer, legal representative of the AU and the AU Chairperson’s Chief Accounting Officer. He is directly responsible to Executive Council for the discharge of his duties.

DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON

H.E. Quartey Thomas Kwesi, born on 17 December 1950, is a Ghanaian national with over 35 years of experience as a diplomat. He was elected as the new Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Ambassador Quartey has served in various capacities in Ghana’s Embassies and High Commissions in Cotonou, Cairo, Brussels, Havana, and London. He was also the Ambassador of Ghana to Ethiopia with concurrent accreditation to Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Eritrea, Djibouti and Rwanda, and Permanent Representative to the AU and the UN Economic Commission for Africa. H.E. Kwesi also served as deputy Foreign Affairs Minister under the former President John Mahama’s government, and was Secretary to the President.

Ambassador Kwesi has gained experience in the area of financial/economic negotiations with the European Commission, expertise in investments and providing advice on Administrative and International Law in his subsequent career as the Provisional National Defense council, State Committee for economic Co-operation, in Accra Ghana. The Deputy Chairperson assists the Chairperson in the execution of his function for the smooth running of the Commission and is in charge of administration and finance. The Deputy acts as the chairperson in his absence.

ELECTED CANDIDATES FOR POSITIONS OF AUC COMISSIONERS

Peace and Security

H.E. Smaїl Chergui is an Algerian diplomat, born on 4 September 1956. He was re-elected as the AUC Commissioner for Peace and Security after his first four years mandate. Ambassador Chergui has over Thirty (30+) years’ experience working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Algeria, and more than 20 years at post of high responsibility. He has vast experience in the management of Pan African affairs, particularly in his capacity as Ambassador and Permeant representative of Algeria.

Political Affairs

H.E. Cessouma Minata Samate is a Burkina Faso diplomat, born on 14 July 1961. She was elected the new Commissioner for Political Affairs of the AUC. Ambassador Samate is an Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Burkina Faso in Ethiopia, Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). She also served as the State Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation, in charge of Regional Cooperation in Burkina Faso.

Infrastructure and Energy

H.E. Amani Abou-Zeid, Egyptian, was elected the new Commissioner of Infrastructure and Energy of the AUC. H.E. Abou-Zeid was an international development lead expert who has been serving Africa in various leading positions for over Thirty (30+) years, mainly in international organizations: AFDB, UNDP and USAID. Her work focused on managing large international programmes and establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships.

Social Affairs

H.E. Amira El Fadil, born on 15 January 1967, from Sudan was elected the new Commissioner for Social Affairs of the AUC. She was the former Minister of Social Welfare and Insurance for the Government of Sudan. H.E. El Fadil worked with the Women Rural Development Association and Immigration, Women, Child and family to transform and impact their wellbeing. H.E. El Fadil has participated in the Women’s Rally for Peace, and has lead workshops and seminars on peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

Trade and Industry H.E. Albert M. Muchanga, born on May 21, 1959, from Zambia was elected as the new Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the AUC. Mr. Muchanga was the Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Office in charge of Parliamentary Affairs in Zambia. H.E. Muchanga was also a former Ambassador to Ethiopia with extra accreditation to the AU. He has both at home and abroad dealt with issues broadly related to international economic policy analysis and implementation as well as regional integration, foreign policy analysis

and implementation.

Rural Economy and Agriculture

H.E. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, from Angola, was elected as the new Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the AUC. Mrs Sacko was the special adviser to the Minister of agriculture, assigned with the responsibility of advising on issues related to international cooperation both bilateral and multilateral. She was also elected the Secretary General of Interafrican Coffee Organization, with a special mandate to represent the economic interest of the 25 African Coffee producers, management of the Secretariat and present the recommendation.

------The remaining two (2) portfolios of Commissioners will be elected from either one (1) male from Eastern Region or one (1) female from Central Region at the Thirty-First Ordinary Session of the Executive Council to be appointed during the Twenty-Ninth Ordinary Session of the Assembly in July 2017 in accordance with Article 16 (6) of the Statutes of the Commission of the African Union.