President Jonathan Arrives Equatorial Guinea For AU Summit

ABUJA, June 29, (THEWILL) - President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan arrived Malabo, Equatorial Guinea this morning to attend a 3-day summit of the African Union (AU).

President Jonathan was received on arrival at the Malabo International Airport by the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea, Ignacio Milam Tang, Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Martins Uhoimoibhi, Nigerian Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, Amb. Gregory Okon, and other high ranking officials of Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and the AU.

Accompanied by First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan and senior aides, President Jonathan proceeded from the airport to the AU conference centre in Sipopo, Malabo to participate at the 25th NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee meeting.

He will later today attend the 15th Summit of the African Peer Review (APR) Forum of Heads of State and Government, the Summit of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, and also have an interactive meeting with a cross-section of the Nigerian Community in Malabo at the Nigerian embassy this evening.

Tomorrow morning, President Jonathan will join his African counterparts for the opening ceremony of the 17th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), with the theme “Accelerating Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development." The opening ceremony will be followed by closed-session debates by the African Leaders.

In the evening, the President and other African leaders will be hosts of President Theodoro Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea at a Presidential Banquet.

Friday will feature the resumption of AU summit debates before the closing ceremony. African leaders at the summit are expected to take far-reaching decisions that will improve the socio-economic wellbeing of youths in the continent.

The President is expected back in Nigeria on Friday night.