Five priorities on ANC's to-do list for AU chair Cyril Ramaphosa

The ANC has come up with a list of five priorities for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s tenure as African Union (AU) chair.

Ramaphosa assumed his role as AU chairperson on Sunday at the 33rd session of the AU Assembly, 18 years after former President Thabo Mbeki chaired the inaugural session of the AU. 

He also assumed the chairmanship of the African Peer Review Mechanism on Saturday.

In accordance with the ANC's recent national executive committee lekgotla, where key priorities were identified  for SA's chair of the AU, the party has asked Ramaphosa to:

1. Strengthen economic diplomacy and encourage African countries to accelerate the signing and ratification of the African Continent Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a priority. 
2. The declaration of 2020-2029 as the Decade of African Women's Financial Inclusion by the AU, focusing especially on women's entrepreneurship. 
3. Step up national and continental mobilisation efforts to raise awareness about and call for the eradication of gender-based violence. 
4. Combat xenophobia, racism, ethnic and gender discrimination and all other intolerances, including discrimination against and the killing of persons with albinism and upholding the rights of the LGBQTI+ community. 
5. Use the chairship of the African Peer Review Mechanism to strengthen and preserve the trajectory of democracy and good governance on the continent.