AU Commission gets first woman Secretary General

African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Zuma, has appointed outgoing Secretary General of the commission, Amb. Jean Mfasoni, Special Advisor in her Office as from 1 July 2015.

Djeneba Diarra was the first woman to occupy the position

The Chairperson’s Office announced in Dar es Salaam on Thursday that Mfasoni retired on Tuesday after 35 years of service to both the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and its successor, the African Union (AU).

The new Secretary General of the AU Commission is a Malian national.

Prior to her appointment, she was Deputy Legal Counsel (2004-2014) of the commission and served as Acting Legal Counsel from July 2012 to December 2013.

Diarra was also Acting Executive Secretary of the AU Advisory Board on the Fight against Corruption (March 2014-March 2015) based at the secretariat in Arusha, Tanzania, the unique continental organisation mandated by the AU to deal with corruption and other related matters in Africa.

Diarra joined the OAU in 1996 as Legal Officer, a position that enabled her to gather enormous experience in the drafting of legal instruments governing the AU.