The Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has argued that Ghana’s anticipated assumption of the African Union (AU) Chairmanship in 2027 required no special diplomatic manoeuvring, as it was already secured under the AU’s rotational system.

In a statement, he explained that the AU Bureau comprises five members — the Chairperson, 1st Vice Chairperson, 2nd Vice Chairperson, 3rd Vice Chairperson and Rapporteur — representing the continent’s five regional blocs.

He noted that the system allows for automatic upward progression within the Bureau.

“The rotation within the Bureau occurs such that when the one-year term of the substantive AU Chairperson ends, the 1st Vice Chairperson moves up to automatically assume the position,” he stated, adding that all other officers move upward in similar fashion.

He recalled that in 2023, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo successfully lobbied for Ghana to represent West Africa on the Bureau, leading to Ghana’s election as 3rd Vice Chairperson in 2024. Since then, he said, Ghana has steadily progressed through the ranks.

“It follows that whoever is President of Ghana by 2027, which in this case is President Mahama, will automatically become Chairperson of the AU,” he stressed, insisting that “Ghana did not have to embark on a special campaign” to secure the role.