Uganda’s candidate for the post of African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs Dr Warren Namara has lost to the Sudanese candidate.
Dr Namara, who is the substantive UNAIDS Resident Representative in Tanzania , had earlier on been introduced by President Yoweri Museveni to a number of African leaders attending the 28th Summit of the AU Heads of State and Government. Dr Namara becomes the second Ugandan to lose the bid for a top continental job, after former Vice President Dr Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe lost the bid to become AU Chairperson last year.
Other posts filled at the Summit in Addis Ababa included that of Deputy AU Chairperson – Ghana; Commissioner Political Affairs – Burkina Faso; Commissioner Peace and Security – Algeria; Commissioner Infrastructure and Energy – Egypt and the Commissioner Trade and Industry – Zambia. Elections for the Commissioners for Human Resource, Science and Technology and that of Economic Affairs were suspended.
The leaders had earlier elected Chad’s foreign minister Moussa Faki Mahamat as the new AU Chairperson, replacing Nkosazana Zuma of South Africa.
Meanwhile, the African Union has readmitted Morocco after 33 years of absence following a difficult debate over the status of Western Sahara.
