Speaking in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as the new President of the AU, replacing the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, Azali promised to fight for the 22 African countries with a high external debt to be able to negotiate their elimination in a more inclusive framework.
According to the also President of the Union of the Comoros, World Bank data indicate that these countries dedicate an average of one billion dollars to debt service.
Assoumani Azali wants the adoption of more inclusive mechanisms that include public and private multilateral creditors, relying "on the promises and commitment, so far, shown by the International Monetary Fund".
According to Assoumani Azali, the multifaceted crises have also generated food insecurity on the continent and are, therefore, a source of strong concern due to their severity, as they threaten to bring even more setbacks to the continent and a scenario of famine.
To the European partners, present at the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, the President of the African Union invited a mass mobilization in terms of financing agreements of more than 150 billion euros to support the continent approved at the European Union Summit - African Union.
He also said that within the scope of his responsibilities, on very important issues facing the continent, he would focus his attention on the essential mission of carrying forward the year's theme "Accelerating the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area".
"We place, collectively, a lot of hope in this AfCFTA, which our organization launched in 2001 and which can bring adequate solutions to our problems", he assumed, adding that it is up to each of the signatory States to create the necessary normative conditions, so that this exceptional tool really serve as a lever for intra-African trade and for its development, because this remains very insufficient, up to 17% of continental trade, as well as Africa's share of world trade, which stagnates at 4%.
