CAIRO: Egypt assumes the chairmanship of the steering committee of the African Union Development Agency, or AUDA-NEPAD, amid “very critical conditions,” President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Sunday. It “coincides with tangible changes at the regional and international levels and on the political and economic fronts, necessitating our concerted efforts to counter the challenges facing our peoples and affecting our ability to continue on the path of development for our African countries,” said the Egyptian president. El-Sisi arrived in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Saurday to participate in the work of the African Union’s fifth mid-year coordination meeting. His remarks on Sunday came during his speech on the “NEPAD Transforming Africa” session. El-Sisi added: “I was honored, upon your confidence, to assume the chairmanship of the steering committee of the heads of state and government of the African Union Development Agency for the period 2023-2024.” The Egyptian president said that Cairo had set specific targets for its NEPAD chairmanship based on boosting the rates of economic integration and proposing solutions to address the existing challenges. El-Sisi outlined Egypt’s main priorities during its NEPAD chairmanship over the next two years. He also spoke at the “Africa Blue Economy Strategy” Session. El-Sisi said: “Our summit comes at a time when the world is witnessing tireless efforts to deal with the current and expected effects of multiple crises, given their impact on the ability of developing countries, especially African countries, to achieve development for our societies and to maintain the growth that was achieved.” He said that Egypt hosted the World Climate Summit COP27 out of its keenness to participate effectively in formulating and facilitating the international effort to address climate change and to confirm the commitment of the African continent to advancing the climate action agenda. The president said: “Our African continent is among the most affected as a result of climate change and its impact that varies between threats to coastal areas, an increase in drought and desertification, and scarcity of water resources. “This calls for looking for innovative ways to deal with it, given its centrality to the stability of societies and the achievement of sustainable development,” he added. During his speech, he outlined Egypt’s vision with regard to the aspects that should be the focus of “our efforts in the coming period.” Ahmed Fahmy, spokesman for the presidency, confirmed on Saturday that the meeting in Nairobi enjoyed a special status as the summit was created during the Egyptian presidency of the African Union in 2019. Fahmy highlighted Egyptian efforts to develop the mechanisms of the AU’s work. He said that Egypt had proposed holding the coordination summit to achieve a specific goal represented in pursuing economic integration of the African region.