Africa must shed Anglophone, Francophone tags to make progress

Djibouti's Mohamed Yousuf, Kenya's Raila Odinga and Madagascar's Richard Randriamandrato during African Union Commission Chairmanship Debate, at AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on December 13, 2024. Yousuf was elected AUC Chairman in February 2025. [File, Standard]

The African Union Commission (AUC) elections, in which former Prime Minister Raila Odinga lost to Djibouti's Mohamed Yousuf in Addis Ababa on February 15, 2025, exposed unresolved issues in the continent.

The elections demonstrated that Africa's Heads of State have always been influenced by geopolitical factors and not the interests of Africans while choosing a person to steer the continent's agenda.