President William Ruto has been appointed as the new African Union Champion for Institutional Reform, succeeding President Paul Kagame of Rwanda.

The announcement came during the ongoing Assembly of the African Union heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

"President William Ruto has this morning been designated the African Union Champion for Institutional Reform. He takes over from President Paul Kagame of Rwanda," the statement said in part.

Announcing the news, the State House revealed that President Ruto will be tasked with providing political leadership and vision to complete the Comprehensive Institutional Reform Initiative that began in 2016.

"The Assembly of the African Union heads of State and Government has bestowed on President Ruto the responsibility of providing political leadership and vision and completing the Comprehensive Institutional Reform Initiative that started in 2016."

According to the statement shared, this initiative aims to reform the structure, functioning, and focus of the African Union Commission, AU Organs, and Specialized Agencies to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency in managing the programs of the African Union.

The Head of State who attended the presidential dialogue on global Financial Institutions reforms in Addis Ababa has always emphasized the critical and pressing importance of reforming the global financial system.

"The reform of the global financial system is an urgent agenda for Africa and, indeed, the entire Global South. These countries access funding from multilateral financial institutions at much higher cost than others in the Global North," Ruto stated.