Minister Lamola Leads South African Delegation at AU Executive Council in Ghana
Ronald Lamola, South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation with Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA at the 45th Ordinary Session of the African Union Executive Council taking place in Accra, Ghana (photo: Katlholo Maifadi/Dirco)
19 July 2024
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr. Ronald Lamola, is heading the South African delegation to the 45th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Executive Council, scheduled for 18 and 19 July 2024 in Accra, Ghana. The theme of this session is “Educate an African fit for the 21st century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning for Africa.”
The primary objective of the Executive Council meeting in Accra is to deliberate on and adopt the AU Budget for 2025. This budget is crucial for advancing the AU’s mandate, including the implementation of Agenda 2063 and its flagship projects, as well as the Silencing of the Guns initiative.
Minister Lamola’s participation underscores South Africa’s unwavering commitment to the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063.
Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of strengthening the AU and its organs while achieving financial independence—a vital step toward addressing the development challenges faced by the continent.
During the Executive Council session, there will be reflections on the AU’s role in the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit, scheduled for Brazil in November 2024. The council will also discuss AU priorities within the G20 framework and explore resource mobilization strategies to enhance its participation.
The African continent grapples with multifaceted challenges, including threats to democratic governance, peace, and security. These challenges manifest through unconstitutional changes of government, inter- and intra-state conflicts, terrorism, violent extremism, poverty, food insecurity, energy shortages, and heavy external debt burdens faced by several countries.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola meeting with his Algerian counterpart Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf (photo: Katlholo Maifadi/Dirco)
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola, Meeting with his counterpart, Dr Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptians Expatriates of the Arab Republic of Egypt, (photo: Katlholo Maifadi/DIRCO)
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola, meeting with his counterpart, Ms Shirley Botchwey, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana (photo: Katlholo Maifadi/DIRCO)
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola, meeting with his counterpart, Mr Peya Mushenga, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia (photo: Katlholo Maifadi/DIRCO)
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola, meeting with his counterpart, Mr Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (photo: Katlholo Maifadi/DIRCO)
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola, Meeting with his counterpart, Ms Yassine Fall, Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs of Senegal (photo: Katlholo Maifadi/DIRCO)
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola, meeting with his counterpart, Mr January Makamba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of Tanzania (photo: Katlholo Maifadi/DIRCO)
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola, meeting with his counterpart, Mr Frederick M. M. Shava, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Zimbabwe (photo: Katlholo Maifadi/DIRCO)
Minister Lamola utilized his time in Ghana to engage in bilateral discussions with counterparts from various African nations. These discussions focussed on AU-related matters, particularly the realization of Agenda 2063 and its flagship projects.
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