The Pan-African AU Agenda 2063 Diplomatic Mission has, at the weekend, commenced its three-day events to mark the 2026 Africa Day in Abuja.

The events started with a “Liberation Walk” from the Jabi Lake Mall to the Jabi Lake Waterfront, and back to the mall.

The walk attracted participants from various sectors, including the diplomatic community, students, pan-African civil society groups, and volunteers.

The African Day is commemorated every May 25 to mark the day the Organisation of African Union (OAU) was set up on May 25, 1963.

The theme for this year’s event is “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”

Global President of the Mission, Dr Steven Ben-Joel, said the commemoration is a continental call to action on the challenges the continent faces and its prospects.

However, in line with this year’s theme, the mission commissioned a water project in the Garam Community (after Bwari), Niger State.

Ben-Joel said the project was conceived in partial fulfilment of the commitment of the AU Agenda 2063 in the area of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH).

He urged the community to exercise ownership of the project by protecting it from theft or vandalism.

In his remark, a Garam Community leader in Tafa Local Council of Niger State, Baba Sallah, said the project had brought excitement and enthusiasm to the community.

He commended the organisation for deeming the community worthy of the impactful project.

However, the African Digital Trade Centre – Pan-African Continental Super-Marketplace (PAC-SM), has officially been launched.

The organisers said PAC-SM is a technology-driven platform that connects buyers and sellers across Africa, thereby enabling seamless trade, partnerships and market access across borders.

The digital trade centre is also a platform for finance, logistics, compliance and education integrated into a single ecosystem.

Chairman of PAC-SM, Dr Patrick Ugboma, said that the marketplace was established out of the desire to create a platform where African products, producers and businesses can thrive.

“It is a strategic platform to support intra-African trade, promote African products and connect producers to markets.

“It is also an avenue to contribute meaningfully to the realisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the aspirations of the AU Agenda 2063,” he said.