Guinean President Alpha Conde succeeds Derby as African Union Chair

Guinean President Alpha Conde has succeeded Chadean President Idris Derby as the Chair of the African Union. Conde was elected by the Assembly of Heads of State on January 30 during the 28th African Union Summit, which held between January 22-31.

The seat, which is mainly ceremonial, rotates among the continent’s five regions – North, Central, East, West and Southern Africa. Conde becomes West Africa’s fourth AU chairperson after Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria (2004), John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana (2007) and Thomas Yayi Boni of Benin (2016).

In other elections at the AU, Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat was elected Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) to succeed South African Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Mahamat defeated four other candidates, including Kenya’s Ambassador Amina Mohamed.

Expert have, however, said developing the tool could be expensive and research finding could take years before they can have impact on healthcare provision.