The Selling Points of Raila Odinga’s African Union Chairperson Bid

Executive Summary

Raila Odinga’s candidacy for the African Union Chairmanship (AUC) in February 2025 presents a transformative opportunity to guide the continent towards greater unity, prosperity, and resilience. The upcoming Mjadala Afrika debate on 13th
December 2024, presents Raila Odinga with a platform to directly engage with the African citizenry. Leveraging on the platform to sell his bid by emphasizing his strengths in addressing critical issues such as peace and security, intra-African trade, AU reforms, climate change, youth empowerment, and the management of Africa’s critical minerals is imperative. Against this backdrop, it is integral for his campaign secretariat to intensify media publicity to articulate a compelling, solutions-oriented vision for addressing Africa’s most pressing challenges by highlighting his key strengths and unique selling points. This can be strategically achieved through an intensive media publicity campaign for the Mjadala Africa debate, complemented by strategically placed billboards featuring him in prominent locations across major African capitals. Additionally, the paper recommends heightening collaborations with influential African media outlets and enhancing the utilization of social media platforms to create targeted campaigns that highlight Odinga’s vision and key selling points.