Morning settles gently over Addis Ababa, the air cool and thin, the city moving at a deliberate pace as motorcades trace familiar routes toward glass-fronted halls and guarded entrances. Flags lift and fall in the highland breeze, their colors bright against a pale sky. In these quiet hours before speeches harden into statements, the African Union gathers as it often does—less as a spectacle than as a rhythm, a recurring pause where the continent looks at itself.
Among the arriving delegations was Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima, attending the 39th summit of the African Union on behalf of his country. His presence folded Nigeria into a broader conversation already underway, one shaped by questions of security, development, and the steady work of continental cooperation that rarely announces itself loudly.
Inside the summit halls, leadership transitioned with ceremonial calm. Burundi’s president, Évariste Ndayishimiye, assumed the rotating chairmanship of the African Union, taking over a role defined as much by symbolism as by coordination. The handover marked continuity rather than rupture, a reminder that the institution’s strength often lies in its predictability—the slow turning of roles that allows each nation, regardless of size, a moment at the center.
Discussions at the summit unfolded against a backdrop of persistent challenges. Conflicts simmer in parts of the continent, economies strain under global pressures, and climate patterns rewrite old assumptions about land and livelihood. Yet the language of the gathering remained measured, focused on shared responsibility and collective frameworks rather than singular solutions. Delegates spoke of integration, peace initiatives, and economic resilience, their words layered over years of similar conversations, each adding incremental weight.
For Nigeria, Shettima’s attendance signaled engagement with that long arc. The country remains a pivotal voice within the Union, often balancing domestic complexities with continental expectations. Participation at the summit offered a reaffirmation of that role, less through declaration than through presence—being there, listening, and aligning with the shared agenda set out in communiqués and closed-door exchanges.
As the summit progressed, Addis Ababa returned each evening to its ordinary sounds: traffic easing, cafés filling, lights spreading across the hills. The formal transition of chairmanship concluded without drama, logged into records and remembered in photographs. What remains is the quieter work ahead, guided now by Burundi’s stewardship and shaped by the collective will of its members.
When the delegations depart, the flags will come down and the halls will empty, but the decisions—both spoken and implied—will travel home with them. In that sense, the summit is less an event than a moment of alignment, brief and deliberate, before the continent resumes its forward motion.
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Sources African Union Reuters BBC News Associated Press Al Jazeera