Addis Ababa, Feb 17 (IANS): Outgoing African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat has called for stronger continental solidarity in the face of growing global uncertainties.

In his final address to the 38th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of the Heads of State and Government during his two-term eight-year tenure at the helm of the AU Commission, Faki said on Saturday that the rapid and intense geopolitical upheavals that characterised the international context during the past eight years "had both violent and destabilising manifestations."

He underscored the impact of the sudden deterioration of the health situation, following the outbreak of COVID-19, other major public health shocks, and "profound economic and diplomatic turbulence" on Africa's socio-economic and political stability, Xinhua news agency reported.

Faki highlighted that the ongoing Ukraine crisis further "darkened this picture, announcing a global geopolitical reconfiguration." He said the consequences of this crisis deeply affected Africa, which imported most of its cereal consumption and agricultural inputs from Russia and Ukraine.

"The specter of food and health insecurity hung over many of our countries, many of which continue to suffer from their structural fragilities," he said.

Meanwhile, the outgoing AU Commission chief underscored his continued resolve to the realisation of Africa's major socio-economic development aspirations, under the umbrella of the AU.

The two-day AU Summit held under the theme for the year 2025: "Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations" from Saturday to Sunday at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.