Tunisia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti, began his participation—leading the Tunisian delegation—in the African Union’s regular meetings במסגרת the 48th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, hosted by the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on 11 and 12 February 2026, with a series of bilateral talks with senior officials of the African Union Commission and several counterparts from across the continent.
During his meeting with the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Selma Haddadi, the minister discussed the level of cooperation between Tunisia and the African Union, as well as President Kaïs Saïed’s determination to deepen Tunisia’s engagement in various development programmes and activities related to preserving peace and security in the region. He also addressed Tunisia’s contribution to the Union’s institutional reform project, in which Tunisia is participating as a member of the Presidential Committee tasked with overseeing the process, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The talks also focused on the situation of African institutions based in Tunisia, and on efforts to provide them with suitable working conditions and the material and human resources they need to fulfil their role in the desired African economic integration.
The minister also met the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Adeoye Bankole, to whom he reaffirmed Tunisia’s commitment to supporting peace and security efforts on the continent. He reviewed Tunisia’s positions regarding key developments affecting peace and security in several African regions, while outlining the main pillars of Tunisia’s approach to irregular migration, in its multiple and interconnected dimensions.
In his meeting with the Commissioner for Economic Development, Tourism, Industry and Minerals, Francesca Bilobi, the minister stressed Tunisia’s commitment to supporting efforts to strengthen the mechanisms of African economic integration, and the need to mobilise the financing required to deliver concrete, completed projects that benefit all African peoples.
He also met the Executive Director of the African Union Development Agency, Nardos Bekele-Thomas, with discussions covering follow-up to her 2025 visit to Tunisia and the progress recorded in implementing joint cooperation projects.
Officials of the African Union Commission praised Tunisia’s commitment to joint African action in its foreign policy, highlighting the success of African events hosted recently in Tunisia. They reiterated their willingness to support existing cooperation and broaden its scope.
As part of coordination with several brotherly and friendly countries on the main issues on the Executive Council’s agenda, and in order to mobilise support for a number of Tunisian candidacies, the minister held meetings with several African counterparts. He notably met Algeria’s Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the National Community Abroad and African Affairs, Ahmed Attaf. The two sides reviewed the principal issues before the Executive Council and reaffirmed the need to continue monitoring the implementation of the outcomes of the 23rd session of the Tunisian–Algerian High Joint Commission, with a view to elevating the partnership between the two countries to the desired level and meeting the aspirations of the two brotherly peoples.
The minister also met his counterparts from Kenya, Ethiopia, Comoros, Togo, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Zambia, with talks focusing on ways to strengthen cooperation in various fields and on preparations for upcoming bilateral milestones.
The first day of the Executive Council session was marked by the adoption of several reports and the holding of elections to renew membership of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, as well as certain other bodies within the organisation.
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