Foreign ministers and senior officials from across Africa have begun arriving in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, ahead of the 49th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union, scheduled for July 28–29.

Among those arriving on Sunday were Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister Amon Murwira, Namibia's Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Nigeria's Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Equatorial Guinea's Simeon Oyono Esono Angue, Botswana's Phenyo Butale, Rwanda's Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe, Cote d'Ivoire's Niale Kaba and Cameroon's Lejeune Mbella Mbella.

Also in attendance are Liberia's Deputy Minister for International Cooperation and Economic Integration, Ibrahim Al-Bakri Nyei, and The Gambia's Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Lang Yabou.

The delegates were received at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport by senior officials from Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Executive Council, comprising foreign ministers from the African Union's member states, is expected to deliberate on key policy, budgetary and institutional matters before submitting recommendations to the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

This year's session is being held under the theme, "Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063," reflecting the African Union's renewed focus on water security, climate resilience and universal access to safe sanitation as critical drivers of sustainable development.

With input from AU official site and Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs