Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, took part in the 44th Ordinary Session of the African Union’s Executive Council.
The session, held under the theme “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased access to Inclusive, Lifelong, Quality and Relevant Learning in Africa,” transpired at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from February 14th to 15th, 2024.
During her intervention at the session, Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey emphasized the necessity of operationalizing the African Humanitarian Agency, stressing that the continent faces diverse humanitarian crises stemming from conflicts or natural disasters.
She underscored the urgency of having an agency to coordinate and lead humanitarian efforts to prevent duplication and ensure efficient resource utilization.
The Minister expressed support for delegating powers from the Assembly to the Executive Council to deliberate and adopt the structures of the African Humanitarian Agency and the African Inclusive Markets Excellence Centre at the forthcoming 45th Ordinary Session.
Regarding the issue of AU-Wide Bank Accounts located outside the continent, Minister Ayorkor Botchwey affirmed Ghana’s endorsement of repatriating funds from the United States of America and Europe to the continent. She advocated for the equitable distribution of AU Bank accounts across Africa.
Additionally, on the sidelines of the AU Executive Council Meeting, the Minister engaged in a consultative session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Ministerial Committee for Member States’ Applications for International and Regional Statutory Positions.
Furthermore, Minister Ayorkor Botchwey held bilateral discussions with Jacob Blitehstein, the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, addressing bilateral and regional matters of mutual interest.