President Bola Tinubu is set to travel to Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday to attend the Fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting (5thMYCM) of the African Union (AU), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Regional Mechanisms (RMs), and the African Union Member-States.

As ECOWAS Chairperson, the President will be joined by Heads of State and Government, Foreign Ministers of AU Member-States, and high-level guests for the mid-year meeting on Sunday.

The President will present a report on the state of regional integration in ECOWAS, highlighting actions taken by ECOWAS institutions, member-states, the private sector, and other stakeholders to deepen integration through trade, free movement of people, investment promotion, infrastructure development, peace, security, and stability during the period under review.

The 5th MYCM, which is convening under the AU’s theme for 2023 christened “Acceleration of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Implementation,” will bring together the Bureau of the AU Assembly, comprising the Heads of State and Government from Comoros, Botswana, Burundi, and Senegal, as well as the leaders of the eight RECs.

These regional economic communities include ECOWAS, chaired by Nigeria, the East African Community (EAC), the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Community of Sahel–Saharan States (CEN SAD), the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

According to a statement, the African Union Commission and the RMs will also attend the conference.

President Tinubu, who would be joined by senior government officials, is expected to arrive in Nigeria immediately after the meeting.