what kind of outcome you expect where 50 heads of state are sitting everybody is asked for
speak to one and a half minutes we speak to one for 100 minutes what kind of Engagement are you
going to get you're going to get nothing right the best that you get is photographs
welcome to the African leadership Series where we bring you great
inspirational speeches of African leaders thank you
if we have to engage with the European Union on a platform as equals
how does a country with 10 20 million people engage with the European Union with 400 million
for 500 million people on equal footing is that a reality you know we just must
be honest to ourselves the globe is acting in concert we cannot afford not to act together
good people this is my request to you and our organization must begin to internalize
accountability you want to wield power if you want to wield Authority
you must be ready to be held to account otherwise you have no business and the
organization to hold the Africa Union to account is this Parliament
so what am I saying for example let me give you another example
we have been to U.S Africa we have been to some other engagement with other countries now we have
been invited for uh Russia Africa's Summit we have made a decision very respectfully as heads
of state in Africa that any engagement with other partners must be an engagement of equals
and for it to be meaningful for it to be meaningful if we are going to meet the
president of a country we have organized ourselves that the Troika is going to represent Africa
the chair the current chair the past chair the chair that is coming and the heads of our regional
economic commissions about six seven people but what happens continuously when others want to
engage with us they don't want to deal with a Troika they want to invite 50 heads of state
so we go to a meeting just explain to me what kind of outcome you expect where 50 heads of
state are sitting everybody is asked for speak to one and a half minutes we speak to one for 100
minutes what kind of Engagement are you going to get you're going to get nothing right they
thank you
that's it
precisely you get these photographs they normally line us up somewhere you know a crowd of 50 heads
of state you know and that's all we come we come home with you know because there isn't
time to engage any serious any serious country that wants to engage with Africa
yeah Mass respect fast our architecture if we have said we are going to be represented by the
Troika why are you inviting 50 people unless you want to sabotage the whole discussion
and if you can't respect our own rules
it is a sign of lack of Goodwill I mean you must so that when we engage you know if if we
have a smaller group of five ten five people then you can have a meaningful conversation
and we can have a meeting of equals but here you are you represent two 300 million people you
have a guy here who represents 10 people you have another guy who represents 10 million people then
that conversation becomes and some of the time you know the most unfortunate thing is that some
of the people who invite us to these meetings tell us if you don't come there will be consequences so
all of us are some are forced to go to a meeting
a full outcome for blackmail this is not right good people you know this it is not okay
you know so I have written to my brother who was here the other day that this time round any
other invitation it must respect the rules of our continent we have saved any meaningful engagement
anybody who wants us to take them seriously they must first respect our architecture if they want
a fruitful engagement they should engage our continent in a manner that we can effectively
represent our people and we can effectively discharge our mandate and articulate our
issues not in a crowd we want we want to be effective we want to we want we want to engage
you know so if you are one head of state and you want to engage all these people
are you sincere you know in engaging in a crowd
you because some of these good people they want to avoid any commitments you know they want to
avoid any meaningful engagement they just wonder and okay okay pictures pictures and then we go
dinner and then I mean good people we have food in our countries at least you can eat at home
foreign
agenda must therefore become a priority this session and you must
members of parliament you must interrogate and conduct the process to ensure that structurally
the roles of the bureau Summit committees Regional caucuses Secretariat and commission
are rationalized to give Africa a fit for purpose Continental governing body worth its name
thank you
leadership series thank you for tuning in and before you leave please make sure to
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it's been me mikeymushi from 2nacheki and always remember Africa is watching