AUC Chair Engages Regional Economic Communities Ahead of 2026 AU Summit

Addis Ababa, February 6, 2026 (ENA)—The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, last night held consultations with the Permanent Representatives of the African Union’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs), briefing them on the Commission’s strategic priorities ahead of the upcoming African Union Summit.

The 48th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government are scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa from 11 to 15 February 2026.

The engagement—welcomed by the Permanent Representatives as an unprecedented and institutionalised dialogue—marked the fourth such interaction under the current leadership of the African Union Commission.

 It underscored the Commission’s commitment to strengthening coordination between the AU and the RECs in line with the principle of subsidiarity.

Discussions focused on the sustainable financing of the African Union Commission and the RECs, enhanced alignment of peace, security, mediation, and preventive diplomacy efforts, the acceleration of regional integration, and collective responses to evolving global geopolitical dynamics.

Participants further emphasized the importance of strengthening African agency through locally driven and sustainable development financing mechanisms.

The consultations reaffirmed the central role of AU–REC collaboration in advancing Africa’s integration, stability, and development agenda.