According to Osvaldo Mboco, Angola is one of the African countries that meets the necessary requirements to assume the presidency of that organization next year, because it is a Member State and complies with the AU's statutory and financial obligations.
The university professor also highlighted that assuming the presidency of the AU will consolidate Angola's role as a country that promotes peace in Africa and guarantees international prestige for the Angolan State, but there are several challenges in the way, if it does not simply want to lead another organization.
"Angola has to do work that is profound. I have been arguing that Angola needs to outline what I consider to be the peace agenda for Africa, an agenda that is feasible, realistic, given the situation the continent is going through," the analyst told Lusa.
Osvaldo Mboco considered that Angola assuming the presidency of the AU in 2025 is equally strategic for the Angolan State, as the Portuguese-speaking country has been developing initiatives aimed at peace and security at a regional level.
For the academic, it is unattainable for Angola to be able to "overcome all the sources of instability that the continent is experiencing", but it is necessary for it to have this peace agenda, even if it is not materialized in its management, but rather in the next presidency, and could also be adopted by the AU as a guiding document.
"What Angola has to do within the framework of this peace agenda is to stratify a series of conflicts and build several vectors, from the point of view of negotiation and mediation, that can contribute to stopping some conflicts", he indicated.
"Angola needs to start implementing this agenda now with the support of strategists, who understand peace and security and regional stability, war and peace", if it wants to consolidate its image as a country that builds peace around the world and in particular in Africa, defended Osvaldo Mboco.
In his opinion, Angola should create a study center on war and peace to study the dynamics of conflicts, present solutions, make diagnoses and prognoses and adapt various doctrines that today no longer fit into the matrix of conflicts in Africa.
"Angola will be able to consolidate its role as a constructivist for peace, it cannot simply be a constructivist country from the point of view of mediation, of articulation of regulations, which make a big difference from the point of view of doctrine on this matter", he stressed.
For the analyst, Angola must also have an economic agenda, because it is fundamental, that, at the same time, defends its national interests, both permanent and circumstantial.
"In other words, if Angola presides over the AU in 2025, it is essential that it places infrastructure to support trade on the discussion agenda, because it has the Lobito Corridor, and it makes all the difference to bring the perspective of the Lobito Corridor, as a important infrastructure to boost trade at the level of Southern Africa, of the CEEAC [Economic Community of Central African States]", he added.
This year, Angola holds the first vice-presidency of the African Union, the first step towards assuming the presidency of the organization in 2025, handed over in 2024 to Mauritania.
Angola's candidacy for the presidency of the AU in 2025 was announced in January by the head of Angolan diplomacy, Téte António.
