President of Mauritania Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani took over the rotating African Union (AU) chairmanship at the opening of the 37th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of the Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, on Saturday.

Ghazouani replaced the outgoing chairman, President of the Comoros Azali Assoumani, who assumed the chairmanship of the continental bloc in February last year at the 36th session of the AU assembly.

In his acceptance speech, the Mauritanian president underscored the need to realize the founding aspiration of the pan-African bloc, mainly Africa’s socio-economic independence, its unity and prosperity.

"I am honored by this choice and I understand the volume of responsibilities I have, particularly in the midst of this critical period," he said.

Meanwhile, Assoumani highlighted key issues during his chairmanship, including ensuring Africa’s stability and development, boosting the role of the AU in particular and Africa in general in multilateral stages, as well as the reform of the 55-member organization.

The two-day summit is held under the AU’s theme for the year 2024: "Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality and relevant learning in Africa."