Opposition leader Raila Odinga has officially announced that he is ready to contest for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson job.
Addressing the media on Thursday, Mr. Odinga stated that he had a myriad of consultations with his friends prior to the decision.
“Should the leadership of Africa want my services I am ready and offer myself to be of service to this continent. I’m ready yes to go for the chairmanship of the African Union,” said Odinga.
“As a Pan-Afrcaninst I believe strongly that Africa is playing in the league that it should not play. That Africa deserves better,” he noted.
“This is something we need to reverse and it can only be reversed if we as a continent marshal all our resources for the faster socio-economic growth of our continent.”
He said that owing to his tenure as the African Union (AU) special envoy for infrastructure development in Africa from 2018 to 2023, he is a fit candidate to scoop the position since he best understands the socio-economic conditions across the continent.
“That position gave me a good advantage to be able to learn about each and every African country and I believe that working with all these countries we can be able to emancipate Africa,” he said.
The AU Commission chair is a big post that elevates the holder to a near head of state. The office holder is a key player in major international happenings, including elections, conflicts and development, not only in Africa but globally.
According to the procedure, a host country nominates a candidate and then mobilises support from the region and the continent for its candidate.
