Mugabe arrives back home - Video

President Robert Mugabe has arrived back home from Equatorial Guinea, where he had joined other African leaders attending the 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Assembly.

President Mugabe and his delegation comprising Foreign Affairs Minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi; the Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Dr Joseph Made and several senior government officials, was met at the Harare International Airport early Saturday morning by Vice President Joice Mujuru; the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Didymus Mutasa, the Minister of State for Harare Province, Miriam Chikukwa; Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda; service chiefs and senior government officials.



Mugabe, a renowned statesman, who is also the first Vice Chairperson of the AU, was among African leaders and he was warmly received at Sipopo Conference Centre where the heads of state and government converged for the two day summit.

In an interview on arrival at the Harare International Airport, Mumbengegwi said the main item at the summit was the 2015 AU budget which was approved but with reservations by member states who felt that contributions by member states, which currently stands at a quarter of the contributions, while donors are putting in three quarters, is not a healthy situation for the continent.

He said member countries deliberated on how the union can mobilise alternative funding for programmes rather that being reliant on foreign donors who are funding most AU operations.

The summit was held under the theme; ‘Agriculture and Food Security.'

Agriculture Minister, Made said a declaration to support the modernisation of the sector including both the livestock and the cropping side was made at the summit with emphasis on finding funding mechanisms to support smallholder farmers, women and youths participating in agricultural activities.

The summit ended on Friday night with the host country's President, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo highlighting that it is not right for the west to continue to interfere in the domestic affairs of African nations.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey of Spain, who also attended the summit in solidarity with the AU pledged to increase investment in Africa, and called on African countries to support his country's bid to land a UN Security Council seat next year.

Other special guests to the summit included UN Secretary General, Ban ki-Moon; Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas and Cuba's Vice President Salvador Valdes Mesa.