Raila appointed AU representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa

The African Union Commission has appointed NASA leader Raila Odinga as the High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa.

In a communique by the Commission’s chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, Odinga’s appointment is part of the African Union’s drive to expedite the integration of the continent through infrastructure, in order to promote economic growth and sustainable development.

The decision by the AU comes against the backdrop of renewed efforts as exemplified by the adoption, last March in Kigali, of the Agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and the African Passport, as well as by the launching of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), in Addis Ababa in January 2018.

Raila will now be expected to support and strengthen the efforts of the Commission’s relevant Departments and those of the Planning and Coordinating Agency of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

The Opposition Chief will also be expected to mobilize further political support from Member States and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and facilitating greater ownership by all concerned stakeholders on the continent.

His new mandate also includes a focus on the continental high-speed train, which is one of the flagship projects of the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063.

In the discharge of his mandate, the High Representative will pay particular attention to the missing links along the transnational highway corridors identified as part of the Trans-African Highways Network, with a view to facilitating their development and modernization.

Raila will also interact with the current Champions of related African Union initiatives and seek their guidance, to ensure the required synergy and coherence.