Guinean President, Alpha Conde elected new African Union Chairperson at 28th AU Summit

Guinean President Alpha Conde has been elected new African Union (AU) chairperson at the ongoing AU summit which started Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Conde will succeed the Chadian President, Idris Deby, as the head of the union.



He will become the 15th African leader to hold the position and the fourth from West Africa to chair the union. The election of Conde, by the Assembly of Heads of State, was expected as the position rotates among the five regions of the continent; North, Central, East, West and Southern African regions.

This year it was the turn of West Africa. In his acceptance speech, Conde said state members should work together to succeed in the integration of African peoples, adding that he "voluntarily and humbly welcomes the presidency of the union in 2017." Conde added that his unanimous election represents an honor for him and for his country.
The position is held for a one-year term, giving the chairperson the capacity to represent the continent at several international ceremonies and forums such as Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), The Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and the Group of 8 G8 and G20 summits.