After the setting up of an agency to take over the continental mandate, the former Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga has ended his term as the African Union special envoy for infrastructure development.
On October 20, 2018, Mr Odinga was appointed as the High Representative for Infrastructure in Africa under the leadership of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The African Union is trying to promote economic growth and sustainable development by integrating the continent through infrastructure.
The transformation of the Nepad AgencyNepad Agency to the African Union Development Agency-Nepad has now been completed, with full mandate to implement the continental agenda on infrastructure, according to Moussa Faki Mahamat, chair of the AU Commission.
Excellency has been invaluable in this journey. Allow me to express my deep gratitude for accepting to serve in this role during this transition period, which has now come to a happy conclusion, Mr Mahamat said.
In 2018, Odinga was appointed as the head of the AU Presidential Infrastructure Champion InitiativeAU Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative. He had two offices - one in Nairobi and the other in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where the AU is headquartered.
Before his AU appointment, Mr Odinga and Mr Kenyatta had ended their political differences after the 2017 elections, through the famous March 9, 2018 handshake that saw the two work closely.