Washington, D.C. — The African Union launched its first-ever Permanent Mission to the United States in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, seeking to strengthen ties between the AU and the United States.
Ambassador Amina Salum Ali of Tanzania has been appointed as the AU's first Permanent Representative to the United States. She called the mission's launch a “unique opportunity to work together” for Africa’s development and added that the mission also seeks to integrate the African diaspora into the work of the AU.
Speaking at the event, United States Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer called the launch “an historic moment for both the U.S. and Africa … the culmination of years of partnership between the U.S. and the AU.”
“The AU and the U.S. share parallel goals and visions for Africa, including conflict resolution, democratic progress, trade and economic growth, investment in the people of Africa, and alleviating the public health challenges,” Frazer said, citing the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as an example of how the AU and the U.S. have worked together and could improve with increased partnership and information-sharing opportunities.
The mission also seeks to facilitate investment and business opportunities in Africa through Agoa (the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act) and other ventures. Ambassador Ali said the mission will emphasize “projecting the new Africa, an economically vibrant Africa, imbued with investment opportunities and prospects for economic renewal.”
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Increased partnership might be useful for some of the AU’s broader goals, said Frazer, remarking on the recent debate on the proposed United States of Africa at the July AU Summit. “I’m hoping that integration – true integration - … could be possible to make the African Union able to unite its member states in true unity of prosperity, of democracy, of stability and peace.”
Ambassador Said Djinnit, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, said the African Union is “determined to pursue the path of continental integration, and we are determined to do that with the support of our partners.”
The United States appointed its first ambassador to the African Union, Dr. Cindy Courville, last year. At her U.S. Senate confirmation hearing, Courville, the former Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council, said, “Africa holds growing geostrategic importance and is a high priority of this administration.”
