Mugabe donates $1m to help finance A.U.
Indications that African countries can stand alone without looking for financial assistance from the West, emerged on Monday, as Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, doled financial support to the African Union.
Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, on Monday handed a cheque of $1 million to the African Union (A.U.) Foundation as part of efforts aimed at lessening the body’s dependence on foreign aid.
The 93-year-old formally handed over the cheque to the A.U. Commission (AUC) chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on the floor of the AU headquarters during the 29th Heads of State summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The state-owned Herald newspaper reported that the amount had been raised from the sale of cattle donated by Zimbabwean farmers following an appeal by Mugabe to help the A.U. self-fund its operations.
The issue of financing its own activities has been prominent in the A.U’s recent agenda. It came up strongly a year ago during the 27th Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Rwanda.
Even though the Kigali summit was under the theme: “2016: Year of Human Rights with a particular focus on the Rights of Women,” it’s main highlight was the launch of the African passport and the continent’s resolve to fund its own activities in the immediate short term.
Zimbabwe has its own share of economic issues stemming from sanctions by western governments, a development , the country fingered as ploy to strangling the southern African country economically.
