The new system, which is set to commence
next year, aims at enabling AU to make its own decisions without donor
countries’ conditions or intervention to African internal matters.
Foreign Affairs, East African, Regional
and International Cooperation Minister, Dr Augustine Mahiga, told
reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday that African leaders reached the
decision during the 27th African Union summit (AU) in Kigali, Rwanda.
He said the African leaders had agreed
that each country must contribute 0.2 per cent of tax collections from
imported goods. He said the money would be deposited to the Central Bank
of a given country - and later to the AU account.
Dr Mahiga said African leaders had
realised that donor countries have been intervening in AU’s decisions
because the body is financially dependent. “It is obvious that economic
dependency has been weakening AU especially in making its decisions,
donor countries have been intervening with AU decisions,” he stressed.
The minister said that about 70 per cent
of the AU budget was foreign funded. According to Dr Mahiga, African
leaders have listed instruction to every member country as one of the
measures to get rid of foreign funds in running internal businesses.
Some countries have been delaying to pay
annual fee as required. Under the new agreement, each member country
will be required to pay its entire annual fee on time, he stated.
The minister noted that African leaders
stated that depending on external funding for the union’s budget is
simply unacceptable and that Africa must assert its independence and
sovereignty more robustly. AU needs the money to fund peace and security
operations as well as for administrative costs, according to him.
Dr Mahiga said the proposal to cut donor
funds was supported by all African leaders and that most of them
perceived it as a revolutionary decision. “African leaders were happy
with the decision, saying that depending on donors is a profound
handicap and an impediment to the continent’s momentum,” stated Dr
Mahiga.
At present, the 54-member bloc sources
only 28 per cent of its half-billion dollar operational budget from its
own members. In addition, it has to source an additional 750 million US
Dollars for peacekeeping operations with the funding gap filled mostly
by the European Union, United States, World Bank, China and Turkey.
On the AU Commission Chairperson’s
election, Dr Mahiga said Tanzanians who wish to contest for the post are
welcomed to register their names.
The AU Summit on Monday postponed to
next January the election of AU Commission Chairperson, deputy
chairperson and other 10 commissioners. The new chairperson of the AU
commission will take over from Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of South
Africa, who has been the AU Chairperson since 2012.
Three candidates were running to win the
position of AU Chairperson, Ms Specioza Kazibwe, former Ugandan
vice-president, Ms Pelonomi Moitoi, Botswana Foreign Minister and Mr
Agapito Mba Mokuy, Equatorial Guinea Foreign Minister.
During the first round of the election
no candidate was able to attain two-thirds of the votes as Botswana
candidate got 16 votes, Equatorial Guinea, 12 votes and Uganda’s
candidate got 11 votes.
Dr Mahiga said yesterday that no single
Tanzanian had shown interest to contest for any post in the past
election, adding that Tanzania has a big chance to win the post. “Many
people were asking why Tanzanians did not appear in the list of
contestants. I would like to invite Tanzanians who wish to contest for
any post to list their names for the January election,” he advised
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