Top Muslim bloc approves appointment of special envoy for Africa

By Ibrahim Mukhtar

ANKARA (AA) – The foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have endorsed the appointment of a special envoy for Africa.

Meeting on March 22-23 in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers passed a resolution endorsing the bloc’s appointing Nassirou Bako Arifari as special envoy, the 57-nation Muslim bloc said in a statement Thursday.

A former foreign minister for Benin, West Africa, Arifari has also taught at various universities, according to the statement.

“This decision is driven by the Council’s belief in the importance of the African continent and its issues – the more so as a large number of OIC member states are from the African continent,” the statement said.

“The decision is also in response to the (2019) Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit’s urge for greater attention to be given by the OIC to Africa and African issues.”

The ministers gathered in Islamabad on Tuesday for a conference under the theme “Partnering for Unity, Justice and Development.”