�This Is Our Time; Africa Deserves The Very Best�
Correspondent | Monday October 24, 2016 17:07
Dr. Venson-Moitoi, who is the endorsed candidate of the member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has taken time to congratulate each of the five other candidates that have also put forward their names for selecting. She observed:
What an encouraging time to be an African when so many great candidates can be put forward, all ready to sacrifice their time and energy towards building a more prosperous, united and proud continent.
The diverse pool of candidates is a reflection of the fact that there is no shortage of ideas or commitment on the need to take our great Union forward. The challenge for all of us remains the need to convert our ideals and aspirations into practical actions that are of tangible benefit to all Africans.
I have had the good fortune to come from, and have worked at the highest levels within, a country, Botswana, which has just celebrated 50 years of peaceful, people-centred development. This circumstance has allowed for the provision of meaningful services based on the planned delivery of programmes.
It is this administrative experience, of balancing diverse needs and popular expectations, which I wish to now bring to the position of the next AU chair. It is my conviction that for our African renaissance to bear fruit, we need to stand up, roll up our sleeves and get to work. There is no other way. In this respect, my own track record of getting organisations, particularly in the public sector, to perform is a matter of public record. It is this background and understanding of what is possible when strong administration and committed governance come together in an organisational context that I now offer. I want to make our mother continent a better place for all starting January 2017. This is our time; Africa deserves the very best.