Power Map: the African Union's 2026 decision chain
Assembly, Bureau, Commission, Peace and Security Council. Who occupies each seat in 2026, and where continental decisions are actually made.
Why it matters. Continental decisions on suspensions, mediation, infrastructure and health financing pass through a small set of named seats. Most reporting names only one of them.
The nodes.
| Node | Occupant in 2026 | Function | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair of the Union | President Évariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), from 14 Feb 2026 | One-year rotating political leadership and external voice | AU press release |
| Bureau, 1st vice-chair | Ghana (West) | Summit agenda and drafting influence | Same |
| Bureau, 2nd vice-chair | Tanzania (East) | Same | Same |
| Bureau, rapporteur | Angola (South) | Summit texts and records | Same |
| Bureau, 3rd vice-chair | North Africa — to be confirmed | — | Same |
| AU Commission chairperson | Mahmoud Ali Youssouf (Djibouti), sworn in 13 Mar 2025, four-year term | Runs the institution: budget, staff, execution of Agenda 2063 and the 2024–2028 plan | AU leadership announcement ; 39th Assembly statement |
| Deputy chairperson | Selma Malika Haddadi (Algeria) | Institutional management | AU election announcement |
| Political Affairs, Peace and Security | Commissioner Bankole Adeoye (Nigeria) | Mediation, election observation, PSC support | Same |
| Infrastructure and Energy | Commissioner Lerato Mataboge (South Africa) | Continental infrastructure and energy programmes | Same |
| Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social | |||
| Development Commissioner Amma TwumAmoah (Ghana) Health and humanitarian portfolio | Same | ||
| Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy | |||
| and Environment Commissioner Moses Vilakati (Eswatini) Agriculture and environment portfolio Same | |||
| ETTIM and ESTI portfolios | Elections postponed | Economic development, trade, industry, mining; education, science, technology | Same |
| Peace and Security Council | 15 members; ten seats slated for appointment at the 39th summit | Suspensions, unconstitutionalchange determinations, mandates | AU summit press release ; Amani Africa PSC reporting |
The facts behind the map. Youssouf was elected in a seventh round of voting in February 2025, defeating Kenya's Raila Odinga and Madagascar's Richard Randriamandrato, and replaced Chad's Moussa Faki Mahamat after two terms, per Voice of America. Commissioners serve four-year terms, renewable once, and two portfolios — economic development, trade, industry and mining, and education, science, technology and innovation — were left vacant at the 2025 elections, per the AU announcement. The PSC's practical authority is visible in the Guinea-Bissau file, where it determined an unconstitutional change of government and suspended the country from all AU activities, aligning with ECOWAS on requiring completion of the interrupted electoral process, per Amani Africa. The 2026 policy theme is water availability and sanitation, per the AU.
Between the lines. Two vacant commissioner portfolios — trade, industry and mining, and science and technology — are precisely the areas where Africa's most consequential negotiations are running. Vacancy is itself a capacity statement. Meanwhile the PSC, not the chair, is the AU's operative instrument, and its member composition shapes how far a suspension goes. Angola's rapporteur seat is quietly valuable: rapporteurs shape the text that becomes the decision.
What to watch. Filling of the ETTIM and ESTI commissioner posts; the North Africa vice-chair confirmation; the ten new PSC members and their positions on Guinea-Bissau and Sudan; and how the water theme is financed.
Method and sources. African Union primary press releases and speeches, VOA for the 2025 election process, and Amani Africa for PSC practice.
Related reading: Who chairs the African Union; Guinea-Bissau's calendar coup.
- AU 2026 organigram with named occupants — original, from AU sources.
- Commissioner portfolios and vacancies.
- PSC suspensions in force, by country and date — AU/PSC records.
X: The AU's 2026 decision chain: Burundi chairs, Ghana and Tanzania hold vice-chairs, Angola is rapporteur, Djibouti runs the Commission, and two commissioner posts — trade/mining and science/tech — are still vacant. The full map →
LinkedIn: New Axis Power Map: the African Union's 2026 decision chain. Burundi holds the rotating chair; Ghana, Tanzania and Angola hold Bureau seats; Mahmoud Ali Youssouf runs the Commission on a four-year mandate with named commissioners for peace and security, infrastructure and energy, health, and agriculture. Two portfolios remain vacant: economic development, trade, industry and mining, and education, science, technology and innovation. Those are the two files where Africa's most consequential negotiations sit.
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