AU Chair urges Africa to cut reliance on external funding

African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has urged African nations to reduce their dependence on external funding and bolster the continent’s own financial systems to tackle rising security, humanitarian, and climate-related issues. Youssouf, speaking at an AU meeting on financing the Union, emphasized that Africa must assume greater responsibility for funding its priorities instead of relying heavily on traditional development partners who are reducing their financial commitments.

The growing number of crises across the continent necessitates a coordinated response that individual countries may find challenging to manage alone. Youssouf stressed that heightened financial contributions from African countries are essential for strengthening the AU’s capacity to respond effectively to these challenges, highlighting that political and economic independence for Africa largely hinges on its ability to mobilize domestic resources and finance its own development agenda.