African Union leadership continues to block crucial institutional reforms

Today, 45 African leaders are expected to attend the 11^th African Union (AU) extraordinary summit in Addis Ababa.

Delegates are expected to discuss a wide range of issues, including how to better equip the AU with resources to meet the regional and international challenges that the African continent faces in 2018.Critics of the existing structure of the AU claim that the body has not sufficiently responded to crises like the civil wars in South Sudan Mali. Many fear these unabated crises could escalate to region-wide problems with Islamic international terrorism.

Reforms today will consider the structure and selection of the senior leadership of the AU Commission, an array of administrative and financial reforms and the mandate of the AU Development Agency.

Early next year, Egypt is expected to assume chairmanship, a country that has been highly criticised by other AU member states for making a lacklustre effort toward reforms. With Cairo still bitter toward the body for being suspended for a year after the 2013 coup, reform is unlikely to take place under Egyptian leadership; do not expect political infighting and leadership paralysis within the AU to improve in the coming year

Delve deeper: 2018 Geopolitical Forecast: Sub-Saharan Africa

Wake up smarter with an assessment of the stories that will make headlines in the next 24 hours. Download The Daily Brief.