This archive report was first published on 19 November 2019.
On October 7, 2019, the African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, terminated the contract of Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao, the bloc's envoy to the US, citing abuse of office.
According to Ebba Kalondo, Spokesperson of the African Union Commission Chairperson, an audit team was deployed on October 16 to 26 to investigate Dr Quao's activities.
The audit team found evidence that Dr Quao had initiated and implemented several projects without the knowledge or approval of the AU Commission Chairperson.
These projects included a diaspora health project, a beauty pageant, a trading company, a diaspora global fund, a diaspora youth summit, and a women's association.
Dr Quao had already been notified on October 7 that her contract would be terminated on November 1, but the audit team's findings suggest that she may have been fired for misusing funds and making irregular diplomatic appointments.
The African Union denies that the audit was conducted to substantiate the dismissal, with Ms Kalondo stating that the statement on Monday 'suggests nothing of the sort.'
Dr Quao was appointed as the AU's Permanent Representative to the US in 2016 and served for three years.
She was known for her public lectures, in which she called for African unity and criticised the West for crafting policies that ensure the continent remains poor.
Dr Quao's departure coincided with public lectures she gave weeks before she was fired, in which she spoke about the 'known facts' of how France sustained African poverty in their former colonies.
