BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has arrived safely in Ethiopia to be part of the Ordinary Assembly of the African Union (AU).
The Prime Minister arrived last night at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was welcomed by Ethiopia’s Minister for Labour and Skills Honourable Muferihat Kemil Ahmed and had an opportunity to also meet with Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Minister at the Presidency for Youth, Women and Persons with Disability in the Republic of South Africa. She has also come to be part of the meeting.
Dlamini is representing His Majesty King Mswati III in the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU. The Prime Minister left yesterday morning at around 6am via the King Mswati III International Airport. The AU assembly will be under the theme: Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.
Dlamini said health issues were one of the main item on the agenda of the meeting of the African Heads of State and Government. Issues of peace and security among African countries would also be discussed. This will happen at a time when more than five African countries have been seen military coups since 2020.
Other issues that would be discussed, according to Dlamini, include educational issues on the African continent, as well as trade issues among the African countries. Trade issues will be discussed at a time when the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is still at its infancy stage.
Among the people the Premier has gone with are Ministers Pholile Shakantu (Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation), Manqoba Khumalo (Commerce, Industry and Trade), and Mduduzi Matsebula (Health). Minister Khumalo had already been in Ethiopia by the time the Prime Minister and his delegation left the country.
