29 Jan 2017

Dr Pelonomi Vension-Moitoi is confident that she will win the African Union Commission chairpersonship.

Hers is no longer a matter of if, but she will ascend to African Union Commission’s highest position following the exit of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma of South Africa.

Ever since Dr Venson-Moitoi threw her hat in the ring, her energy and resolve to win have been demonstrated by her robust campaign with the country and beyond.

Also Botswana’s Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation, the seasoned politician’s campaign team has traversed the length and breadth of the African continent from where the AU membership is drawn.

Even though she garnered less than the mandatory two-thirds majority votes required for the seat, she managed to beat both her challengers from Uganda, and Equatorial Guinea at the 27th AU Summit in Kigali, Rwanda last year.

The continental bloc will be repeating elections end of this January, now fielding five candidates after the initial elections failed to garner sufficient votes needed for the position.

After successfully participating in a televised debate in December last year in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, she fancies her chances highly in the upcoming elections billed for end of January this year.

Below is how Dr Vension-Moitoi dealt with questions posed by the moderator during the debate that was broadcast live:
Moderator: What is your vision for Africa?

Dr Venson-Moitoi: I envision a united Africa, an Africa we can all call our home, an Africa we can invest in, an Africa where we can raise and educate our children, and an Africa where we can invest for our tomorrow and for the tomorrow of our children. My vision is fundamentally rooted in measurable action and unshakable values. This has served me well in my career which spans four decades as an administrator and a servant of people.

Africa has spoken; Africa has produced a master plan Agenda 2063 through our heads of states. We have expressed our wishes for the Africa we want.
We have produced a roadmap in which our aspirations are clearly pronounced.  Through our Agenda 2063 we have said everything that Africa has ever dreamt about.

To me this is truly a guide to the continent’s wide success, provided we tap into our most precious resource, our people. Provided we administer it through the effective implementation of using our people correctly and putting in place proper monitoring and evaluation mechanisms correctly-and this is where I come in

I have the ability to design and put in place systems and procedures that are required to do that implementation and monitoring and evaluation necessary to deliver on the dream we all have

My four decades in public service have given me that experience. Those familiar with my values and unwavering commitment to serve the public will testify to my ability to diagnose and transform organisations.

Moderator: Youth and women contribute over 60 percent of the population of Africa. The women represent more than half of the population.   How would you change the situation of women and youth who are going through a plethora of problems in the coming years?

Dr Venson-Moitoi: Some legislation has been put in place by AUC. What remains to be done is Implementation to be put into place for both women and children.    What needs to be followed up with speed are laws relating to child marriages particularly female genital mutilation, domestic violence and child labour because these continue to plague the continent throughout.

But also to ensure that public awareness and educated are promoted in member states.

To deal with youth unemployment, again the AU has taken action to sensitise member states to remodel education curricula to make sure that we do not just educate our children for academics, but to educate them so that they develop some skill and be useful not only to the economy but also to themselves.

We should ensure that women are protected because when they are protected, they are useful to the economy; they will raise healthier and more peaceful homes, and in the long term, this will bring peace into homes and therefore communities and that will extend ultimately to the nation.

Also during war, women and children are affected, they get hit worse and we know that quite often they are not the instigators of wars. But if we give them education and bring them into places of work, ultimately they will contribute to peace and we can be convinced that ultimately wars might be decreased; hence there is value in educating children and women as they will bring about peace on the continent.

Moderator:  Why is Free movement of African movement important to Africa – how do we deal with fears of open borders?

Dr Venson-Moitoi: This requires commitment from member states to facilitate movement of goods and trade.

I will encourage member states to adopt policies that will ease regulations that make it impossible to get a visa because without it people cannot travel.

We should harmonise policies to make it possible for Africans to move around their continent. I will put emphasis on infrastructure development - transport has to be facilitated and put those on the front burner, to move Africa further.

Moderator: With regards to the issue of financing - Over 80 per cent finance comes from sources outside member states how would you deal with this problem?

Dr Venson-Moitoi: We need to demonstrate that ability and rebuild the trust within member states. Why should they be coerced? There should be political will – We need administration arrangement and also look at the private sector to find ways of investing resources to grow the little money that we have so that the organsation can grow and we can stop depending on outside help. I will convince them to invest.

Moderator: Africa’s aspirations and plans are hindered by peace and security, claiming lives and standing between us and our visions, AU has placed to silence guns by 2020. What would you do to prevention of conflicts in Africa?

Dr Venson-Moitoi: Conflicts stem from violence related to political power transitions. I will promote a better understanding of democratic processes, respect for the rule of law and human rights, ensure implementation of principles of African charter.

Much has been done. African peace security architecture and other relevant conventions are pertinent and regional economic communities - this should make up for a full regiment to silence guns in the continent.

I will ensure that we further strengthen ongoing post conflict reconstruction programmes because these are founded to rebuild countries which will require fostering programmes so that we allow nations to heal after a lot of blood shed particularly for women and children who are mostly affected.

Moderator: Why do you think you are the best candidate?

Dr Venson-Moitoi: I am the best candidate because know that I can do this job. I have served under four Presidents in my country Botswana, two in South Africa presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki to set up a new government in that country.

I know that I have this capability because I have taken wishes of governments to convert them into actionable programmes, I have helped Gambia set up new local government, I have helped governments in SADC to set up all their local governments.

I have applied for this job as an African woman who believes in this Africa; who believes that we all have a role to play in our continent, who believes that we must serve our continent.

Africans have put together a dream and somebody must deliver on that dream

I know I can deliver on that dream, I will take that dream and make it walk - I know I can and I have that capability, my work has proved it and given that chance, I will make it walk for you Africa.

Other candidates for the position of AUC Chairperson include Chad’s foreign minister Moussa Faki Mahamat, Equatorial Guinea’s foreign minister Agapito Mokuy, Kenya’s foreign minister Amina Mohamed and Senegal’s Bathily Abdoulaye, who is the special UN envoy for Central Africa. BOPA