In Africa Day 2025 message: Akere Muna promises to reboot Cameroon's influence in AU.

Akere Muna made the observation in a message released Sunday, May 25, to mark the creation of the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, now AU on May 25, 1963.

From a glorious Cameroonian presence in the institution, being the only African nation this far to have produced two Secretaries General of the AU, Akere said, the country is missing in action today within the Union.

“Cameroon has always been at the forefront of Africa’s liberation. Our founding father, President Ahmadou Ahidjo, was not just a leader of this nation but a founding architect of the OAU, whose wisdom helped shape our continent’s destiny,” Akere noted.

He lamented that in contemporary times, “…Cameroon’s voice has faded in the halls of the African Union”, before positing that: “This silence must end”. 

The presidential aspirant remarked that the mission of his movement remains to drum collective action to “restore Cameroon’s voice, reclaim our Pan-African leadership, and build a future worthy of our ancestors’ sacrifices”.

Situating his vision within the context of the 2025 presidentials just months away, Akere declared that: “My commitment to Africa has not just been in words but also in action. And as your next President, I will ensure Cameroon leads again in the AU, not just in speeches but in real change—for our youth, our economy, and our shared African destiny”.

He said OAU switched to AU to create an organisation truly representative of the people of the Continent. 

Decades on, he observed that “…a new generation of fearless African youth is breathing life into this vision, demanding progress, innovation, and unity”.

Describing himself as a “proud Pan-Africanist”, Akere noted that he has “walked this path” and understands its dynamics. 

He recalled having served as the first elected Presiding Officer of the AU’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council, ECOSOCC; founding member and former President of the Pan-African Lawyers Union, PALU and key stakeholder of the African Peer Review Mechanism, APRM. 

The APRM, he said is the “driving force for democracy, good governance, and economic transformation”. He also paid tribute to Africa in hour of its “unbreakable spirit”, making it a continent that “refused to remain in chains. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3457 of Tuesday May 27, 2025