Maseru, Feb. 16 — The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the African Union (AU) have elected seven experts to serve on the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC).
The seven experts are Albab Tesfaye AYALEW (Ethiopia), Satang NABANEH (The Gambia), Wael Mohamed AbdelRazek Mohamed AWAD (Egypt), Wilson Almeida ADAO (Angola), Robert Doya NANIMA (Uganda), Anne MUSIWA (Zimbabwe), and Joseph Sunday SINNAH (Sierra Leone). The latter four were re-elected and will serve a second and final term.
The election took place on February 11 during the 48th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in Addis Ababa, in accordance with the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) and the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Council.
Members of the Committee serve a five-year term, renewable once. The newly elected members will be sworn in at the 47th Ordinary Session of the ACERWC, scheduled for April 17-25, 2026 in Maseru.
Meanwhile, at the margins of the ongoing 39th Summit of the AU, the ACERWC Delegation led by Chairperson of the ACERWC Sabrina Gahar, held a constructive engagement with Deputy Prime Minister Justice Nthomeng Majara.
The Deputy Prime Minister expressed the commitment of the Kingdom of Lesotho to implement the host agreement and support child protection through availing assistance for the operations of the ACERWC through technical and financial support.
On the other hand, the Chairperson of the Committee expressed appreciation for the Kingdom of Lesotho for the manner in which it hosts the Secretariat and the convening of Sessions of the ACERWC.
Established in 2001 and drawing its mandate from Articles 32-46 of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
The main goal of the Secretariat is to work towards making Africa a continent that is fit for children by protecting and respecting their rights.
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