In this report, we take stock of the past four years of the AU Commission and make recommendations for the Union in charting the future. As we do so, we are cognisant that we built on the work of the Commission that preceded us. We have made progress, but there is still work to be done in realising our Continent’s aspirations and strengthening our Union.

We focussed on implementation of key priorities laid out in Africa’s 50-year blueprint - Agenda 2063. We are making progress, albeit uneven, in beginning to realise its aspirations. In the last four years, the African Continental Free Trade Area was signed, and entered into force in the shortest time ever witnessed for negotiations of a trade agreement of this size. Coupled with the launch of the Open Skies Initiative and the Free Movement Protocol, the potential to accelerate integration is great and should be capitalised.

Our Continent made some progress on the path to Silencing the Guns in the last four years. We made some breakthroughs on the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, in Sudan, and in South Sudan. We contributed to the conclusion of peace and reconciliation in the Central African Republic, provided technical assistance to the DRC, and supported the transition in Somalia. We revitalised the AU Peace Fund and mobilised hundreds of millions in support of our Member States’ struggles in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, among other regions, in the areas of capacity building, conflict prevention and peace support operations. However, the continent still endures structural challenges to attain lasting peace and sustainable development.