Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa presented the Accra Declaration on Financing the Union at the 27th Extraordinary Session of the AU Executive Council in Accra. The six‑point proposal calls on member states to shift from discussion to concrete commitments that will secure the African Union’s financial future.
In a speech to delegates, Mr Ablakwa urged the session to end with signed commitments rather than mere dialogue. “Let this Session be remembered not for what we said, but for what we signed,” he told the gathering.
The declaration outlines six key commitments. First, it seeks endorsement of Option C, the integrated pathway, as the preferred model for financing and reforming the AU. Second, it calls for a levy on eligible imports or an equivalent predictable and verifiable domestic financing mechanism, backed by transparent rules and reporting. Third, it proposes a unified programme‑based budget, a medium‑term expenditure framework, and the principle of one programme, one budget line. Fourth, it urges member states to raise the Peace Fund’s capitalisation to US$1 billion and establish a replenishment mechanism to sustain it. Fifth, it seeks institutionalisation of the AU’s partnership with the Alliance of African Multilateral Financial Institutions and a review of contribution arrangements, including the contribution cap and the erosion of the real value of contributions. Sixth, it stresses that the declaration must reflect the interests of women, young people and under‑represented groups, with Africa’s youth seen as the Union’s purpose.
Mr Ablakwa announced that Ghana will convene an Extraordinary Summit on African Financial Institutions in Accra in 2027, when it assumes the AU chairmanship. He called on the AU Commission to prepare a time‑bound implementation framework ahead of the summit, with clear responsibilities, deadlines, milestones and reporting arrangements.
Ghana’s proposal aims to transform the AU’s financial architecture, ensuring that the Union is adequately financed and that its institutions are built, capitalised and operationalised for the benefit of all members.
