The African Union may begin penalizing member states that fail to remit annual financial contributions to the continental body, AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said on Sunday.
Among the punishments suggested include a total suspension of a member state from the AU and its affiliated agencies.
“Today we have adopted a set of sanctions including a total suspension of a member state that can no longer participate in the meetings of the assembly or any meeting of the African Union,” Faki told reporters after deliberations at the 11th extraordinary AU summit, held in Addis Ababa.
The chairperson stressed that “the first responsibility of a member state is to pay its contribution.”
Faki noted that some member states were committed to remit their contributions, while others were evaluating “the most flexible way” to make their expected shares.
He said the organization was keen to ensure that payments are made in time.
“We can’t wait until the end of the financial year for payment to be made; there are sanctions,” Faki said.
According to AU figures, member states’ contributions to the organization’s budget had increased to 14 percent in 2017, up from 3 percent in 2012.
During the two-day AU assembly session, which primarily aimed at advancing the institutional reform of the AU, African leaders considered detailed proposals to make the AU Commission “a more effective and performance-based institution,” according to the AU.