The African Union (AU) has chosen Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye to serve as its chair for 2026, as leaders at the bloc’s 39th summit emphasized the importance of water security, institutional reform, and peace.
Ndayishimiye succeeds Angola’s President João Lourenço in the rotating leadership role at the conclusion of the two-day Assembly of Heads of State and Government held at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The summit was centered on the theme of ensuring sustainable water access and safe sanitation systems, aligning with Agenda 2063, the AU’s long-term development strategy.
Leaders highlighted the necessity of water access as a critical factor for development, public health, and security in a continent grappling with climate challenges, rapid urban growth, and conflict.
During the assembly, the AU Commission Chair, Mahmoud Youssouf cautioned against “increasing geopolitical turbulence,” ongoing conflicts, and a resurgence of unconstitutional government changes in various African regions.
He urged member states to hasten political and economic integration while decreasing dependence on external funding.
“Institutional reform and financial independence are now essential as external financing diminishes,” he stated, calling for better domestic resource mobilization and quicker execution of key projects in industrialization, agriculture, energy, and infrastructure.
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In his opening remarks as outgoing chair, Lourenço emphasized the need to “silence the guns,” referencing crises in Sudan, the Sahel, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia.
Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, urged African nations to move from merely responding to global events to actively influencing the international agenda, stressing the significance of technological independence and continental confidence as the AU approaches its 25th anniversary.
The new AU leadership for 2026 will include Ghana as first vice-chair, Tanzania as second vice-chair, a North African country to be confirmed as third vice-chair, and Angola as rapporteur.
