Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has left the country to attend the summit of heads of state and Government of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, Pacific States (OACPS) in Luanda, Angola.
The summit has been headed by Kenya for two years.
Gachagua is expected to hand over the OACPS presidency at the 10th summit, on behalf of President William Ruto during the four-day conference.
He will give the keynote address highlighting key milestones achieved during Kenya’s two-year tenure at the helm.
Kenya was elected President of the Summit in December 2019 when it hosted the 9th Summit of the 79-Member States.
It lead to the adoption of the Nairobi Declaration on Nguvu ya Pamoja which outlined various actions for implementation towards the achievement of the OACPS goals.
Gachagua will deliver the address at the opening session on Friday, to be led by Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, whose country will take over the Summit’s leadership.
He is accompanied by MPs including Martha Wangari (Gilgil), Eric Muchangi Karemba (Runyenjes), and Patrick Munene (Chuka Igamba Ngombe).
The theme of the OACPS, which brings together 48 Members from Sub-Saharan Africa-16 from the Caribbean and 15 from the Pacific, will be “3 Continents, 3 Oceans, and 1 Common destiny: Building a resilient and sustainable OACPS.”
After the opening session, a high-level exchange between the OACPS heads of state and government and invited strategic partners will be held under Building Resilience to Climate Change.
The DP will lead discussions on Building resilience to climate change, energy transition and combating desertification.
He is expected to highlight the impact of global warming and climate and make a call on developed countries to support their third-world counterparts in mitigating further negative effects.
Gachagua is also expected to have bilateral engagements with the European Union President on the Economic Partnership Agreement on strategic partnership.
Dorcas Rigathi will be engaged in the inaugural First Ladies Forum under the theme: “Women’s Rights and Gender Equality as a necessary factor for the development of societies”.
The meeting is expected to highlight the critical role of gender equity in socio-economic development, in addition to highlighting and identifying ways of countering barriers to inclusivity.
Key among them is sexual abuse in peacekeeping missions, human ad sex trafficking, and reproductive health, among others.
The forum will be led by the First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço of the Republic of Angola.
