Remarks by H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssef, Chairperson of the African Union Commission at the 46th SADC Summit. #agenda2063

I was honoured to represent the Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission H.E. @ymahmoudali at the 46th SADC Summit held in eThekwini (Durban). Durban is where the African Union was born 24 years ago, as the OAU transitioned to AU. Durban has now hosted a SADC rebirth, in the words of the Heads of States and Governments present. Long live SADC. Long live Africa. A beautiful poem by #LeboMashile #SADC #SADCSouthAfrica #AfricanUnion #infrastructure #energy #digitalisation #agenda2063

Two weeks ago I addressed the Napers-hosted AI Governance and Policy Symposium, with a focus on South Africa. The platform provided an opportunity to highlight the African Union’s contribution to AI governance. We thank NASPERS and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange for advancing the conversation. #AI #digitaltransformation #governance #africa

We went to Geneva in July 2026 to ensure that Africa is not left outside when digital conversations are being held and decisions are being taken. #agenda2063 #AI #digital

A Happy Pan-African Women’s Day!

This week saw the constructive conclusion of the 49th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council - a gathering Foreign Ministers from across the African Union who deliberated on matters of African and global significance under the chairpersonship of the Republic of Burundi. The session carries particular weight for the Infrastructure and Energy Department. Among the decisions taken was the approval of the Roadmap for the Theme of the Year 2027, "AU at the Dawn of its 25th Anniversary: Leveraging the Full Potential of SAATM and New Technologies for Continental Integration". The Roadmap sets out how the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and new technologies will be harnessed to deepen continental integration in the implementation of Agenda 2063 and its Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan. The decision will be endorsed by the Heads of States and Government in October 2026.

Yesterday, I had the honour of witnessing The Republic of Equatorial Guinea’s signing of the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, known as The Malabo Convention, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Simeón Oyono Esono Angüe. The signing was on the margins of the 49th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council. The African Union Commission stands ready to work with the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in translating this agreement into national capability, towards the implementation of Agenda 2063.

Yesterday I met H.E. Madam Lilly Stella Ngyema Ndong, Ambassador of the Gabonese Republic to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, on the margins of the 49th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council. We spoke about preparations for the Specialised Technical Committee on Communication and ICT, which the Gabonese Republic will host. The STC on Communication and ICT is the ministerial organ through which Member States give policy direction to the continent's digital agenda, and my Department convenes it. Africa's digital instruments exist: the Digital Transformation Strategy, the Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy. This session is where those frameworks get turned toward delivery. I am grateful to Gabon for stepping forward to host this very important statutory meeting.

A hearty congratulations to Engineer @KeziasMwale on his election as the African Telecommunications Union’s Secretary-General. The African Union Commission looks forward to your leadership and collaboration.

early July 2026 Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff, and ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin announced the launch of the AI for Good Global Commission. The AI for Good Global Commission held its inaugural meeting during ITU's AI for Good Global Summit 2026 (7-10 July) in Geneva, Switzerland. The Summit is part of Digital Week, a series of digital cooperation events taking place in Geneva from 6-10 July, which also includes the first UN-mandated Global Dialogue on AI Governance (6-7 July) and the WSIS Forum 2026 (6-10 July). I am honoured to be named among the founding Commissioners, bringing the African Union’s voice and perspective to shaping the Global AI landscape for the good of humanity. aiforgood.itu.int/summit26/

African Union Commission and Vodacom Group Forge Common Ground on Digital Infrastructure, AI and Connectivity Geneva, Switzerland, 08 July 2026 H.E. @LDMataboge, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, held a bilateral meeting with Vodacom Group, represented by its Chief External Affairs Officer, Mr @aymanessam, on the margins of the @AIforGood Global Summit in Geneva. Vodacom operates across eight African markets, and its Vision 2030 strategy carries an ambition the African Union shares: connecting every African to the digital economy. Discussions centred on the foundations that ambition rests on. As artificial intelligence and satellite connectivity redefine what is possible for the continent, the Commissioner outlined the African Union's position, anchored in the Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa: artificial intelligence that is interoperable across jurisdictions, development-oriented, and built to serve African languages and realities. Digital trust, a central theme of this week's Summit, was recognised as the condition on which adoption depends. The meeting also addressed universal connectivity. Bridging rural coverage gaps will take complementary technologies, from fibre to low Earth orbit satellite, alongside the policy and affordability conditions that turn coverage into usage. The Commissioner welcomed the private sector's role in closing the mobile internet usage gap, whilst underlining that inclusion is measured at the last mile: rural communities, women and young people brought into the digital economy for the first time. Digital infrastructure runs on energy, and both sit squarely within the Department's mandate: digital infrastructure, digital public goods and artificial intelligence, alongside the renewable power, financing models and enabling policy needed to grow them sustainably. The Department promotes, coordinates and implements policies to develop world-class, integrated infrastructure and energy systems across the continent, in the implementation of Agenda 2063, and partnerships of this kind are how that work reaches people.

Engaging meeting in Addis Ababa 🇪🇹 with @LDMataboge, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy. We discussed strengthening road safety across Africa 🚦, aligning with Agenda 2063 and SDG 3.6, improving safe infrastructure 🛣️, scaling up helmet use 🪖, and enhancing crash data systems 📉. A shared commitment to saving lives and accelerating joint action for 2026–2030 #RoadSafety #SaveLives

Thank you to H.E. Lerato Mataboge,@_AfricanUnion Commissioner for Infrastructure & Energy, for the warm reception at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa today. The meeting was made even more meaningful by our shared connection as Tutu Fellowship alumni. We had a productive discussion on strengthening the African Union’s participation in Project BRIDGE, Nigeria’s $2 billion open-access fibre initiative, particularly the energy component that will be critical to powering sustainable digital infrastructure. We also explored broader opportunities for collaboration to accelerate investment in digital infrastructure across Africa, unlock greater connectivity, drive innovation, and support economic growth. An important part of our conversation focused on strengthening Africa’s AI capabilities, including the need for shared compute infrastructure and greater investment in the foundations required for the continent to fully harness the opportunities of artificial intelligence. Our discussion also covered preparations for the upcoming Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Communication and ICT, where we will continue advancing a collective African agenda for digital transformation. We further exchanged views on Africa’s engagement within the @ITU, including the importance of a strong, coordinated African voice in the lead-up to the leadership elections at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 in Doha, Qatar. This meeting reinforced the importance of deeper collaboration across the continent as we work to build the digital foundations that will power Africa’s future prosperity.

African Union Commission and Nigeria Deepen Strategic Partnership to Drive Continental Digital Transformation 29 May 2027 At the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, H.E. Commissioner @LDMataboge hosted Honourable Dr. @bosuntijani Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for a high-level bilateral engagement. The discussions focused on accelerating the implementation of the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa and alignment with critical frameworks to propel the digital economy of the continent forward. The dialogue centred on scaling up investments in digital public infrastructure, harmonising data governance frameworks, and fostering cross-border innovation ecosystems. Both leaders emphasised that robust digital connectivity is an indispensable foundation for the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area, enabling seamless trade, financial inclusion, and tech-driven entrepreneurship across regional markets. By combining national momentum with continental policy leadership, this collaboration aims to equip Africa's expanding, tech-ready youth population with the tools to lead the global digital shift. Unlocking this immense potential requires transitioning from policy design to rapid execution, ensuring that regional regulatory environments actively support commercial scalability and technical capacity building. #AfricanUnion #DigitalEconomy #Innovation #Agenda2063 #DigitalTransformation #StrategicPartnership

Driving Continental Execution Strategies at the Nedbank Chairperson’s Dialogue On 14 May 2026, the Nedbank Group convened regional business leaders, development partners, and policy architects in Sandton for the Chairperson’s Dialogue. Addressing the core theme of realising African potential through disciplined execution, H.E. Commissioner @LDMataboge delivered the keynote address. Her remarks set a clear mandate for the continent, signalling that the planning phase is now transitioning into a decade of delivery. Moving away from fragmented interventions, the African Union Commission is prioritising coordinated systems transformation across transport corridors, energy grids, and digital infrastructure. The high-level panel engagement examined the interconnected nature of continental development bottlenecks. Sharing the platform with Nedbank Group Chairman Daniel Mminele, Nedbank Chief Executive Jason Quinn, Dr Kennedy Mbekeani of the African Development Bank, Professor @vukosi Marivate of the University of Pretoria, Finhai Munzara of Cassava Technologies, and Nedbank economist Liandra da Silva, the discussion explored pragmatic pathways for economic growth. The broad consensus from the deliberations highlighted that unlocking the value of the African Continental Free Trade Area requires closing the regional infrastructure gap through coordinated multilateral financing. Furthermore, advancing technological sovereignty and inclusive artificial intelligence necessitates the rapid expansion of pan-African broadband networks and scalable data centres. Across these domains, navigating macroeconomic volatility with absolute policy certainty was identified as paramount to securing long-term developmental capital. The dialogue concluded that for true industrialisation to take hold, the relationship between governments and the private sector must evolve beyond transactional financing into a collaborative architecture for implementation. By aligning credible regulatory frameworks, robust project preparation, and domestic capital mobilisation, the African Union Commission and its partners aim to fundamentally alter the developmental trajectory of the continent. @FifiPeters #AfricanUnion #NedbankDialogue #Agenda2063 #InfrastructureDevelopment #ContinentalExecution #TheAfricaWeBuild

From mobilising private capital and scaling infrastructure to unlocking value across energy, transport, trade, manufacturing, and digital infrastructure, Day 1 of #TheAfricaWeBuildSummit in Nairobi focused on practical partnerships and scalable solutions to drive growth across the continent. The Summit featured the launch of AFC’s State of Africa’s Infrastructure Report 2026, alongside insightful discussions from distinguished leaders including H.E. Dr. @WilliamsRuto , President of the Republic of Kenya; H.E. @KagutaMuseveni , President of the Republic of Uganda; Mr.@AlikoDangote ; and H.E. @LDMataboge , Commissioner for Infrastructure & Energy at the @_AfricanUnion Commission. Key highlights also included the announcement of AFC’s regional office in Kenya, the signing of the commitment by the @DBSA_Bank to AFC Capital Partners’US$750 million Infrastructure Climate Resilient Fund (ICRF), and engaging panel and roundtable discussions with industry experts. Thank you to all our speakers, partners, and participants for contributing to a successful Summit. hashtag#TheAfricaWeBuild hashtag#AfricaWeBuild hashtag#TAWBS26 hashtag#AFC

Driving Institutional Synergy at the 74th @NEPAD_Agency Steering Committee   14 May 2026 marked the opening of the 74th Ordinary Session of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD Steering Committee. Delivering the opening statement on behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssef, H.E. Commissioner @LDMataboge reaffirmed the unwavering commitment to deep institutional alignment between the Commission and the development agency. The Commissioner emphasised the importance of the value-chain of work between the Commission and the development agency, from political direction to policy to implementation. The first day of deliberations focused on the critical convergence of the strategic policy leadership of the Commission and the technical execution capabilities of AUDA-NEPAD. Addressing the assembly, Commissioner Mataboge emphasised that navigating the current global landscape requires absolute agility, collaboration, and innovation. The ongoing discussions aim to translate the overarching aspirations of Agenda 2063 into tangible progress through shared leadership and proactive oversight. #AfricanUnion #AUDANEPAD #Agenda2063 #TheAfricaWeWant #InstitutionalSynergy

1/3 Executive Secretary @claverGatete met with @_AfricanUnion Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, @LDMataboge and team to discuss the strong partnership to advance transport infrastructure to meet the #SDGs and #Agenda2063...

Voices shaping Africa’s infrastructure future. The opening of the Ministerial Session of the 5th Ordinary Session of the African Union Specialised Technical Committee on Transport and Energy featured high-level interventions from leaders across the continent, setting the tone for the discussions ahead. Speakers underscored the urgency for stronger coordination, accelerated project delivery, and sustained investment in Africa’s transport and energy systems. As deliberations continue, the emphasis remains clear, aligning policy with action to drive connectivity, energy security, and inclusive growth across Africa. #STCTransportEnergy