The group, whose deliberations began on Wednesday, January 25th, is comprised of foreign ministers, ambassadors, and the heads of the main AU departments and institutions, and it is giving the final touches of the agenda.

The recommendations that will be analyzed by the Assembly of the heads of State and Government attending the summit on January 30th and 31st, most of whose sessions will be held behind closed doors, will be discussed this afternoon.

Other officials appointed by top authorities of the 54 nation members, led by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chad, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the country that holds the pro tempore presidency of this international entity, are also on the list.

Some of the most important aspects discussed by the Executive Board are related to peace and security of the continent, particularly the threat of terrorism and the strategy to deal with it, the situation in South Sudan and the actions by extremist groups in the region, sources close to the event say.

The group will also ends today the analysis of the reports of the technical teams, with a view to the implementation of specific elements of the 2063 Agenda, which is a framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent, aimed at accelerating changes in the next 50 years.

Among the components of this initiative are the Lagos Plan of Action, the Abuja Treaty, the Minimal Integration Programs, the Infrastructure Development Program, as well as other national and regional projects, according to the documents the major AU event is assessing.

These assessments take place at a time when, according to recent data from the International Monetary Fund, Africa's gross domestic product in 2016 grew 1.5 percent, the lowest rate in 20 years.

Previous meetings of the Permanent Representatives Committee, made up of ambassadors of the AU country members and the directors of the entity, were held on Sunday and Monday.

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