ADDIS ABABA, Aug 25 (AFP) - African head of states and government are to hold a two-day extraordinary summit next month on poverty alleviation, the African Union (AU) Commisssion announced in Addis Ababa on Wednesday.
"The September 8-9 summit's theme will be 'Strategies for Employment Creation/Promotion and Enhancing Sustainable Livelihood,' with key focus on finding ways and means to address the root causes of poverty, unemployment and inequality," AU commissioner Bience Gawanas told a press conference.
"The AU will organize a five-day meeting from September 3 to precede the September 8-9 summit, which will involve trade unions, employer associations and civil society," Gawanas said.
The summit, which will be held in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, will assess strategies and actions that can be used to mobilize resources to create new jobs, improve the quality of existing jobs and raise living standards across Africa.
"We recognize that fighting poverty and social exclusion involves empowering people and promoting human dignity, equity, security and freedom for all and that convening the extraordinary summit will provide a platform for consultation, dialogue and reflection for our leaders," Gawanas said.
"It will also lead to the exchange of best practices among member states and promote strategies that can help create success stories on the continent", the poorest in the world, Gawanas said.
"Africa should work in unison to overcome the social, economic and political development challenges in general," Gawanas said.