Azimio la Umoja coalition leader Raila Odinga has officially expressed interest in being the chair of the African Union Commission (AUC).

While speaking to the media on Thursday, Raila stated that he consulted with his friends before making the decision.

PHOTO | COURTESY Raila Odinga 

"Should the leadership of Africa want my services I am ready and offer myself to be of service to this continent. I'm ready, yes, to go for the chairmanship of the African Union," said Odinga.

The ODM leader expressed dissatisfaction with African countries' deplorable state of things.

 Odinga expressed his displeasure with how African young are compelled to travel borders to other continents under harsh conditions to make a life.

PHOTO | COURTESY Raila Odinga 

The fiery political leader has stated that if elected, he will be determined to change Africa's face and realign it to become an economic superpower.

"As a Pan-Afrcaninst I believe strongly that Africa is playing in the league that it should not play. That Africa deserves better," he noted.

"This is something we need to reverse and it can only be reversed if we as a continent marshal all our resources for the faster socio-economic growth of our continent."

He stated that his stint as the African Union (AU) special envoy for infrastructure development in Africa from 2018 to 2023 qualifies him for the role because he best understands the continent's socioeconomic realities.

"That position gave me a good advantage to be able to learn about each and every African country, and I believe that working with all these countries, we can be able to emancipate Africa," he said.

Odinga added that he spoke with former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was present at the event, about mobilizing leaders throughout the continent and "talking to other people elsewhere."