By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

The chairman of the African Union Commission on Wednesday commended Ethiopia for appointing the Cabinet that saw gender parity.

This came a day after Ethiopian parliament approved a new 20-member Cabinet, having equal representation of men and women, nominated by the country’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

“The Chairperson [Moussa] Faki looks forward to other similar bold initiatives on the continent, as part of Agenda 2063,” the commission said in a statement.

“Yesterday’s decision by the Prime Minister sets a major milestone in Africa’s efforts towards gender equality and women’s empowerment, in particular women’s access to high level political decision-making positions,” the statement quoted the African Union chairman as saying.

Faki recalled the principle of gender equality and women’s empowerment was enshrined in all key guiding African Union documents, including the Constitutive Act.

Women, according to the statement, constituted 50 percent of the leadership of the commission.