Senegal’s Abdoulaye Bathily, who hopes to take over from African Union (AU) Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma when she steps down later this month, has revealed his programme to fulfil the AU Agenda 2063.

The Agenda 2063 is “a call for action to all segments of African society to work together to build a prosperous and united Africa based on shared values and a common destiny.”

Bathily unveiled the key objectives in his “Project for the African Union” progamme, which highlights his intention, if elected, to build on the collective vision and aspirations of Africa’s people; to move beyond an African Union of States to an African Union of people; to reaffirm the leadership of the AU in global affairs; to facilitate regional and continental integration; to optimise collective resources and to build an effective and efficient AU Commission.

“The African Union has an important mandate, which consists of continuing to play a crucial role in steering the continent towards the Africa we want. I intend to contribute to the rebirth of Africa in order to fulfil the founding fathers’ dream of a continent that is united, peaceful and empowered socially, politically, economically and culturally,” he said.

Among his aspirations, he hopes that Africa is allocated a permanent seat on the United Nations (UN) Security Council and he aims to encourage intra-African mobility of citizens, trade and investment.

Bathily strongly advocates for the principle of African solutions to African challenges and has participated in several conflict and crisis management missions in Africa.

He holds more than 50 years of social, political, cultural and academic experience and says he is committed to bringing to the AU Commission a combination of in-depth knowledge of the African continent, a proven capacity to relate to all contexts and challenges, as well as a clear vision and strategy.

Bathily has PhDs in history and human sciences and has held senior political roles – most recently as senior minister in the Office of the President of Senegal.

He is a former deputy speaker of the National Assembly and has served as special envoy to the chairperson of the AU. He is currently the special representative of the UN Secretary General for Central Africa and head of the UN regional office for Central Africa.