African Union leaders pledge to strengthen cooperation with China

World Today

Leaders at the African Union summit pledged to strengthen cooperation with China. They are expected to cooperate in areas including: infrastructure development, counter-terrorism and combating diseases.
The leaders also adopted their Agenda 2063, a 50-year growth plan for the Africa. CCTV’s Girum Chala reported this story from Ethiopia.

It’s the first time the continent has collectively adopted such a far-reaching development plan.

The plan was a personal victory for AU Commission Chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

“It’s a good idea to have a long term plan and now that we have adopted one it also means that we have to make that the three levels in which we operate continental,regional and the national-we are able to separate what is done at which level.That is the work that has to happen between now and the next summit,” AU Commission Chair Dlamini-Zuma said.

The summit also addressed some big decisions for security.

The AU has sanctioned the deployment of a regional force to fight Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram.

The AU’s newly elected chair Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe assured that Africa will fight terrorism collectively.

For President Mugabe, the continent and it’s people will be taking priority under his one-year term.

2015 has been declared a year of women empowerment in the African continent.