On April 20, 2026, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) formalized a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a decade of official cooperation. The agreement not only celebrates past achievements but also defines the strategic framework for the next chapter of interreligious and intercultural dialogue across Africa.
The signing represents a significant renewal of a ten-year partnership, aligning directly with the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and the collective vision of “The Africa We Want.”
Following the ceremony, the momentum shifted to a high-level roundtable titled “Fostering a Culture of Transformative Dialogue in the Africa Region.” The discussion convened senior AUC officials alongside representatives from KAICIID’s Board of Directors and host country Member States to explore practical pathways for regional stability.
The collaboration traces its roots back to the original 2013 agreement, a foundation that has allowed both organizations to revitalize the AU Interfaith Dialogue Forum. Over the years, this forum has moved across the continent—from Nigeria in 2016 and Chad in 2018 to Rwanda in 2023 and Namibia in 2025. By creating this structured continental space, the partnership has bridged the gap between religious leaders, policymakers, and civil society, allowing them to engage directly with Africa’s most pressing peace and security challenges.
At the ceremony, KAICIID’s Acting Secretary-General, Ambassador António de Almeida Ribeiro, emphasized that lasting peace and security in Africa require more than just political frameworks. By partnering with the AUC, KAICIID aims to empower religious leaders and local communities who possess the trust and influence necessary to drive “real change.”
Ribeiro noted that the collaboration focuses on shifting dialogue from an abstract concept into tangible, community-level outcomes.
Ribeiro is a Portuguese career diplomat with experience across multiple assignments in Europe and outside the region. Over the course of his diplomatic service, he has held responsibilities in several postings and has overseen a range of key departments within Portugal’s foreign ministry.
Since 2022, he has served as the first Deputy Secretary-General of KAICIID. In January 2025, he assumed the role of Acting Secretary-General.
The Reporter’s Abraham Tekle spoke with Ribeiro to get a better understanding of the partnership between KAICIID and the African Union, emphasizing the shift toward a more practical, “transformative” dialogue to address modern challenges. The discussion also highlighted several critical priorities, including empowering religious leaders as essential partners in diplomacy, engaging youth to foster a long-term culture of tolerance, and collaborating on urgent global issues like human rights and combating hate speech. EXCERPTS:
The Reporter: Could you provide a comprehensive overview of the recent MoU between the AUC and KAICIID?
Ambassador Antonio de Almeida Ribeiro: We have officially renewed our Memorandum of Understanding with the African Union. While our previous agreement was established in 2016, we recognized the necessity of updating it to address emerging challenges and set new objectives that strengthen our partnership. Given that the regional landscape has changed significantly since 2016, our primary goal was to adapt this new memorandum to reflect the current realities in Africa.
Alongside the signing, we organized a roundtable with African Union officials to address critical thematic areas. The discussion also focused on human rights in Africa, conflict prevention, the promotion of dialogue, and strategies for combating hate speech. These were basically the topics that we have discussed in the roundtable.
If we look back at the last decade, what is the single most successful “on-the-ground” impact KAICIID has had in East Africa, and how does this new agreement improve upon it?
Since KAICIID’s inception in 2012, its founders have designated Africa as a high-priority region. From the very beginning, we have engaged with various African nations and the African Union, leading to our first MoU in 2016. Beyond this formal agreement, we have implemented active programs in countries such as Nigeria, the Central African Republic, and Mozambique, while participating in projects across several other nations. Africa remains central to our mission, and this new MoU further reinforces the priority KAICIID places on the continent.
Ambassador, during the signing ceremony, you highlighted the role of the Interreligious Council of Ethiopia (IRCE) in this mission, as part of the “transformative dialogue” model. In reality, Ethiopia is currently navigating complex internal conflicts and administrative restructuring. How can the model move beyond the conference rooms of the AU and practically assist the IRCE in cooling tensions in Ethiopia’s regional states?
We must recognize that approximately 80 percent of the world’s population identifies with a religion. Whether or not they are active practitioners, this connection means that religious leaders hold significant influence both within and beyond their own communities. When an important religious leader speaks, not only the community listens to him, but his message goes very often beyond its own religious community.
This influence is an essential factor to consider, as religious leaders should serve as close partners to policymakers and civil society. Lasting peace cannot be achieved through diplomacy and political talks alone. However, by engaging religious leaders to work alongside governments, we can better prevent conflict and promote a culture of dialogue between different religions and cultures. This is our primary aim in partnering with the African Union. By aligning with the agenda 2063 goals for peace and security, we are ready to undertake joint actions to achieve these objectives across the continent.
How does this concept of transformative dialogue specifically underpin the goals and objectives of the new MoU?
We view dialogue as the tool for societal transformation, that’s why we call it ‘transformative dialogue.’ In the absence of dialogue, tension and conflict often escalate into war. Our primary mission is to promote engagement among diverse religions, communities, and entities as the most effective means of preventing violence. Nobody wants war and we believe it can only be achieved by listening to, understanding, and tolerating one another. This commitment to fostering mutual understanding serves as the core objective of KAICIID.
As part of your mission, you have also met with Ethiopian Fellows Alumni, CSOs, and youth organizations. Looking at the high youth population in Ethiopia, what specific, scalable projects does the renewed MoU offer to ensure these young people are not just “participants” in workshops, but are leading peace initiatives in their own communities?
Youth are undeniably the future of their countries and communities, making their empowerment absolutely crucial. We believe it is essential to establish close contact with them from the outset, as they are the leaders of tomorrow. By working with them now to foster a culture of tolerance and dialogue, we ensure they become the practitioners of these values in the future. This approach aligns closely with Agenda 2063, and our MoU clearly recognizes this objective.
Were there any other significant positive outcomes from the workshops?
We hosted individuals from various regions of the world representing five major religions. As they conclude their program tomorrow, a key highlight of their experience was visiting various religious sites. This is vital because it allows participants from different backgrounds and faiths to gain a deeper understanding of other religions and their practitioners.
This initiative directly promotes dialogue, and I believe it was a highly valuable experience for them to visit the cathedral, the synagogue, and the Grand Mosque in Addis Ababa. We are confident these visits were beneficial for the participants, and it was equally rewarding for us to facilitate these visits and have everyone engaged in this collective experience.
There was also a cultural program and dinner showcasing Ethiopian heritage. So, beyond the symbolic value, how does KAICIID view Ethiopian cultural and religious “soft power” as a tool for broader continental diplomacy?
As a significant form of soft power, we promote platforms and meetings, participate in conferences, and manage our Fellows cohorts. In Europe, for example, we have the Muslim-Jewish Leadership Council (MJLC), which brings together prominent Rabbis and Imams to engage in dialogue. We believe that all religions share a fundamental commonality: the promotion of peace and human dignity.
By recognizing that these values are common to all religions, we establish the common ground necessary to speak with one another and foster meaningful dialogue.
East Africa is currently facing significant displacement driven by both conflict and climate stress. Your roundtable specifically addressed this intersection. What are the mechanics of KAICIID’s intervention here?
While we do not intervene directly in the various conflicts occurring in East Africa, we work through the African Union to support their initiatives. We remain hopeful that this Memorandum of Understanding will further enable us to assist the African Union in its efforts to promote peace throughout these troubled regions in East Africa.
Are you providing the AU with a new policy blueprint for handling climate-induced migration through a religious lens?
Climate change is another of our primary concerns, and we are eager to cooperate with the African Union in this specific area. We hope to support their projects addressing climate change and its consequences, particularly the social tensions that these environmental shifts are causing in so many societies.
Hate speech and divisive digital narratives are a rising concern in the Horn of Africa. The MoU mentions “countering hate speech through trusted local voices.” How will KAICIID identify and protect these voices in environments where the media landscape, especially the social media platform is often polarized?
Through this MoU, we are ready and eager to cooperate with the African Union on projects dedicated to preventing and addressing hate speech. This is a deeply negative phenomenon occurring not only in Ethiopia but in many other countries, including those in Europe. We hope this agreement provides the opportunity to work closely with African Union officials to implement actions that curb hate speech, given its extremely damaging impact on all societies.
What measurable impact or progress should be anticipated within the communities of the 55 member states following the signing of this MoU, particularly regarding the resolution of long-standing backlogs in peace and security initiatives?
We will now begin implementing specific activities through a joint steering committee composed of KAICIID and the African Union. This committee will monitor the various ways we can cooperate across diverse initiatives, maintaining a permanent dialogue with African Union officials. This ongoing collaboration will allow us to continually assess when, where, and how we can most effectively provide our support and cooperation.
With the recent transition in African Union leadership, how do you anticipate the East African perspective will influence the implementation of the MoU over the coming years?
We had a very productive meeting with the recently appointed Deputy Chairperson of the African Union. I have no doubt that under this new leadership, the African Union will continue its vital work across the continent to promote peace and dialogue while actively countering radicalization and extremism.
The protection of “sacred and cultural heritage” is a key pillar of your strategy. In areas of active conflict within East Africa including Ethiopia, how can KAICIID and the AU practically intervene to protect these sites when they are often targeted as part of the conflict?
You can only protect the religious sites if you have the cooperation from the religious leaders. By engaging them in dialogue, we can identify ways to prevent conflict at these locations. Since every faith has a vested interest in preserving its own sacred spaces, this is a shared objective. Promoting intercommunal dialogue fosters mutual respect for all sacred sites, which aligns with the goals of the African Union. We are committed to bringing communities together to protect these sites, especially where they may be at risk.
As human rights issues become increasingly critical both globally and across East Africa, what specific actions or solutions can KAICIID provide to address the atrocities committed in the region?
We believe that human rights are universal values, as all countries have signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Therefore, there is no excuse for failing to respect these fundamental rights. Our objective is to promote a culture of respect and tolerance, grounded in the unique dignity of every individual. Religious leaders play a vital role in this effort, as the respect for human life must be a core objective of every faith; it would be contradictory for it to be otherwise.
Regarding the issue of accountability, what are the expectations for both member states and KAICIID to ensure that perpetrators of human rights violations are held accountable?
This is very much related to the internal justice systems of all countries. What we can do from our side is to put all our interests and pressure through the African Union, which is also a very clear goal that they have, to promote human rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It’s something that is valid everywhere in society.
The African Union’s Agenda 2063 is set with a vision of the “Africa we Want”. However, critics often say these high-level MoUs lack the funding to reach the grassroots. How is the implementation of this agreement being financed to ensure it reaches the village level and doesn’t remain an “Addis-only” initiative?
I am convinced that we can promote activities without a financial burden that would make things impossible to materialize. We must utilize our soft power through our various contacts, the meetings we attend, and our partnership with the African Union. While financial aspects can be important, the primary goal is to initiate dialogue and facilitate encounters between people. The most significant contribution we can make is providing governments, religious leaders, and communities with the right environment to foster dialogue among themselves.
Leveraging your expertise, what steps must be taken to achieve lasting peace in Ethiopia and the wider region, particularly to ensure that ongoing conflicts do not undermine sustainable development and prosperity?
I believe that mutual respect is essential; without it, there will never be peace in Ethiopia or any other country in the region. This is not a problem unique to Ethiopia, but our goal is to convince political leaders that collaborating with religious leaders is vital for the well-being of their nations and societies. That is our core message.
As I mentioned, the key is dialogue—specifically, transformative dialogue. The alternative to dialogue is war and tension, which I believe no one truly wants, as it results in disaster for everyone.
Do you have a message you would like to share with our readers?
I was extremely pleased with this visit to Addis Ababa and the meetings we held at the African Union, including the roundtable discussion. It was clear from all our contacts that these officials are deeply committed to making Africa a continent of peace, respect, and human rights. Additionally, hosting our latest cohort of fellows in Addis Ababa at the same time was a very rewarding moment for both me and KAICIID.
I am certain that the fellows found the program extremely valuable, as it allowed them to meet one another, visit sacred sites, and engage in meaningful exchange. It was a wonderful group that achieved a very fruitful dialogue, perfectly representing what I value most: the promotion of dialogue and diversity.
