On March 27, 2026 the African Union (AU) failed to adopt a draft decision seeking to endorse former President of Senegal, Macky Sall, as the continent’s candidate for the post of the United Nations Secretary General (SG), to replace the current SG, Portugal’s Antonio Guterres, who ends his tenure of office in December.
Sall was proposed for the top UN post by current AU chair, Burundi President, Evariste Ndayishimiye, for reasons not clear, leading some members to fire back claiming both abuse and misuse of Africa’s culture for consultation and consensus in such matters of high stakes international diplomacy.
In fact, the AU issued an official note stating it had failed to endorse the draft decision, in effect saying Mr Sall did not have regional backing for his candidacy despite his name having been received at UN headquarters in New York.
Sall has said he shall press ahead, likely as a private candidate since even his own country, Senegal, has distanced itself from his bid.
To be a candidate, one does not need unanimous AU backing. A candidate can be proposed by any UN member state. However, it would be extremely difficult to sail through, especially persuading the five permanent members of the Security Council who are the ones who usually decide who becomes SG.
According to rotational rules, the post of UN SG should on January 1, 2027 be held by someone from Africa. However, with the continent not showing consensus, the game becomes more complicated, but there is still room. An alternative way, is for Africa to nominate another candidate or candidates.
There is no age limit for UN-SG. The election criterion is based on finding a person with high administrative skills, diplomatic experience, and leadership qualities rather than age. Africa has a good pot of candidates who fit that description.
Ghana’s Koffi Annan was the second African to hold the post. I would therefore tend to believe that a third African SG would come from either eastern of southern Africa, if Africa acted on consensus. In my opinion, former Kenyan Vice President, Kalonzo Musyoka qualifies for the post as does also Tanzania’s Prof Anna Tibaijuka.
Prof Tibaijuka served as a very able Executive Director of UN Habitat, also holding the title of UN Under SG and was at one time, Africa’s highest-ranking woman in the UN system. If we elected tact over squabbles, Africa can still play the world stage with the very impact of the titans.
