MEFMI received a courtesy call from a delegation of the African Union Commission (AUC) on 16 June 2026 at the MEFMI Secretariat in Harare. The delegation led by Mr Patrick Ndzana Olomo, Head of the Economic Policy and Sustainable Development Division at the African Union Commission met with MEFMI Management led by Executive Director Dr Louis Kasekende to discuss opportunities for collaboration on capacity development in areas of mutuals interest including public debt management.
The African Union delegation included Mr Paul Sikazwe, African Union Public Debt Advisor; Ms Rumbidzai Manhando, Programme Coordinator for the African Union African Financial Institutions (AFI); Mr Joseph Yaba, Protocol Officer at the African Union Commission. The AUC team was accompanied by Mr Obey Musarah from the Embassy of Zimbabwe in Ethiopia and other officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Zimbabwe. MEFMI was represented by the Executive Director, Directors, SDMP Programme Managers, and staff from the PR office.
During the discussions, Mr Olomo highlighted the African Union’s ongoing work on debt management across the continent. He cited several initiatives that the AUC was undertaking to respond to debt management challenges including the development of the Africa’s Common Position on Debt, the formation of the Borrowers Club, the on-going project to develop the African Debt Monitoring Mechanism. He noted the need to strengthen collaboration among debt managers and highlighted that AUC was exploring opportunities for MEFMI to support tailored capacity development initiatives for African countries.
Discussions further focused on finalising the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). between the African Union and MEFMI. The African Union expressed interest in leveraging MEFMI’s expertise and experience in debt management and capacity development, with discussions recognising the potential role of MEFMI as a technical partner in supporting debt-related initiatives across Africa. The African Union delegation indicated that the proposed MoU signing would take place in Harare in July, and requested MEFMI’s participation, noting that the event would provide visibility for both institutions while strengthening collaboration on issues of mutual interest.
In his remarks, Dr Kasekende welcomed the opportunity for closer collaboration and thanked the African Union for its interest in partnering with MEFMI on debt-related matters. He reaffirmed MEFMI’s readiness to support African countries and emphasised the importance of leveraging existing African institutions and expertise to address the continent’s development challenges rather than creating new structures where capacity already exists.
The meeting highlighted the strong alignment between MEFMI and the African Union on issues of debt management, capacity development, and economic resilience across Africa, while laying the groundwork for closer cooperation going forward.