STORY: Africa loses 18 bln USD annually due to conflict: African Union
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 27, 2025
DATELINE: Jan. 29, 2025
LENGTH: 00:02:08
LOCATION: Nairobi
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of leaders of African countries at the conference
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): WILLIAM RUTO, Kenyan President
3. various of the conference
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA, Ghanaian President
5. various of the conference

STORYLINE:

Kenyan President William Ruto, who is also the champion of the African Union (AU) institutional reforms, said on Monday that conflict continues to deny Africa of its potential, costing the continent an estimated 18 billion U.S. dollars annually and displacing millions of people.
   
Ruto said Africa currently hosts 35 million internally displaced persons, 8.9 million refugees, 1.1 million asylum seekers, and 1 million stateless persons.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): WILLIAM RUTO, Kenyan President
"Between April and June 2024 alone, a total of 1,000 terrorism incidents were recorded across Africa, resulting in 4,818 deaths. This is an existential moment for our continent."
   
The day-long event brought together presidents from Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia, Ghana, and the Comoros, as well as Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the AU Commission, to accelerate reforms of the 55-member continental organization.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA, Ghanaian President
"Your Excellencies, without peace there can be no development. The AU must strengthen its capacity to prevent, mediate and resolve conflicts. This includes adequately resourcing the African Standby Force and leveraging partnerships to address emergency threats such as terrorism, cybercrime and climate-induced displacements."

Ruto noted that the AU security architecture in its current configuration is incapable of addressing the continent's complex dynamics and challenges, and there is an urgent need for immediate revitalization of the peace and security architecture.
   
He also said the pan-African bloc's presence in regional hotspots remains weak, fragmented, and under-resourced.
   
The Kenyan leader added that the continent's developmental goals are being hindered by destabilizing forces, given that peace is the key to development. 

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nairobi.
(XHTV)