Speaking at the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the weekend, the President said his administration would engage the African Union Commission in collaboration with member states to ensure that the bank takes off as scheduled in 2028.

Speaking on the military takeovers in the Republics of Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, and the exit of three of these nations from ECOWAS, the President said disagreements over the unconstitutional changes of government should not mean apermanent rupture of the abiding lines of regional affinity and cooperation.

The President used the occasion to extend invitation to the Africa Counter-Terrorism Summit scheduled to take place in April in Abuja, aimed at expanding discussions beyond military and law enforcement remedies to comprehensively tackle the root causes of violent extremism.