The Inter-REC/RM CEOs Coordination Meeting, convened by IGAD under the leadership of Executive Secretary H.E. Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, brought together heads of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs) on the sidelines of the African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Chaired by the African Union Commission H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the session aimed to strengthen coordination, align priorities, and accelerate progress on the AU’s Agenda 2063.
H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf commended RECs for their proactive approach to regional integration and underscored the AU’s commitment to deeper collaboration with RECs.
“The African Union values the role of RECs as crucial collaborator in delivering Agenda 2063. Our future lies in unity, alignment, and coordinated action and together we must move from parallel efforts to collective delivery,” he said.
Speaking during the meeting, Dr. Workneh highlighted two major achievements under IGAD’s chairmanship of the Coordination Platform.
1. Launch of formal discussions on a dedicated budget for REC activities, in line with the 2021 Protocol on Relations between the African Union and the RECs/RMs.
2.Secured recognition of RECs’ institutional positioning within the AU Commission structure, reaffirming their central role in continental governance and integration.
“These are not symbolic gestures, they are structural shifts toward a more coherent, efficient, and African-owned development architecture,” stated Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu the Executive Secretary.
The meeting reaffirmed the importance of joint resource mobilisation, clear division of labour, and sustained political commitment in achieving continental priorities.
The results of the meeting will inform the deliberations of the 7th AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, where AU organs, RECs, and Member States will assess progress and chart a Mutual journey toward a more integrated and succesfull Africa
