Ramaphosa expresses satisfaction with the African Union’s election outcome

CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the elections at the African Union’s 38th ordinary session of heads of state and government.

Ramaphosa was among the continent’s leaders in Ethiopia on Saturday when Angola’s Jaoa Lorenco assumed the Presidency of the continental body.

Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf defeated former Kenyan President Raila Odinga and former Madagascar Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato in several rounds of voting to assume the chair of the African Union Commission for the next four years.

The Assembly expressed grave concern about the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo - with a call from heads of state for the M23 rebels to cease fire.

The summit also took note of South Africa’s presidency of the G20 and congratulated the country for being the first on the continent to host the bloc.

"This is a very good outcome for us as Africa," Ramaphosa said on the sidelines of the summit.: 

"We are consolidating the African Union to ensure that it continues to unite the continent. So we see progress here and we will continue seeing progress with the discussions that are going to go on because we didn’t only come for elections, we came for real discussions and decisions. So this has been a good summit."