South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is the incoming new chair of the African Union for the year 2020.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to take over the chairmanship of the African Union for the year 2020, replacing Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi who chaired the organization through 2019.
In his New Year’s address, the South African leader pledged to use the opportunity to rally Africa to actualize the Continental Free Trade Agreement, whose operational phase was launched in July in Niamey, Niger.
“From January, South Africa takes up its position as chair of the African Union. We will seek to work with our sister countries to realise an Africa Free Trade Area that stretches from Cape Town to Cairo, and from Dakar to Mombasa,” a statement from the South African presidency read.
Ahead of the assumption of the AU chairmanship, President Ramaphosa in November hosted the AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat for talks.