AU Commission Chairperson Extends New Year Greetings to People and Gov’t of Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, September 11, 2026 (FMC) — Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has extended his warmest greetings and best wishes to the Government and people of Ethiopia as the country ushered in the Ethiopian New Year 2019.

Ethiopians across the country and communities abroad are marking Enkutatash, celebrated on Meskerem 1, the first day of the Ethiopian calendar year. This year, the New Year falls on September 11, bringing the country into 2019 amid family and community gatherings, shared meals, greetings and a range of cultural traditions that mark the occasion.

The celebration also comes at a distinctive seasonal transition following the main rainy season, when Ethiopia’s landscape takes on renewed colour, including the blooming of the yellow Adey Abeba flowers traditionally associated with the New Year.

Against the backdrop of the national celebration, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission has linked his New Year greetings to Ethiopia’s longstanding contribution to the history and aspirations of the African continent.

In a message posted on AU platforms, the AUC Chairperson reaffirmed the solidarity of the AU Commission with the people of Ethiopia and highlighted the country’s historic contribution to Africa’s unity, independence and collective aspirations.

He also wished the people of Ethiopia peace, unity and prosperity, while renewing the AU Commission’s commitment to a united, peaceful and prosperous Africa.

The message comes as Ethiopia begins 2019 under its distinctive calendar system, which consists of 12 months of 30 days each, followed by Pagume, a shorter 13th month of five days, or six in a leap year.

Beyond its calendar significance, Enkutatash remains an important cultural occasion through which families, communities and generations come together. Celebrations across the country and among Ethiopian communities abroad are marked by traditions of visiting, sharing meals, exchanging greetings and observing cultural practices associated with the beginning of a new year.

The New Year also carries particular significance in the continental context. Addis Ababa, where the celebrations are taking place, is home to the headquarters of the African Union, placing Ethiopia at the institutional heart of the continent’s premier organization for continental cooperation and integration.

The African Union Commission serves as the AU’s administrative and executive body, with the Chairperson leading the Commission’s work in advancing the Union’s continental agenda. Youssouf, a former Foreign Minister of Djibouti, is the current Chairperson of the AU Commission.

His New Year message thus combines greetings to the Ethiopian people with recognition of the country’s historic place in Africa’s unity and independence, while reaffirming continental solidarity and shared aspirations for peace, prosperity and a united Africa as Ethiopia enters 2019.