Former Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, recently concluded a high-profile five-day visit to India, where she joined global leaders to celebrate a major milestone for one of the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian organisations.
The visit coincided with the 45th anniversary of the Art of Living Foundation International Centre in Bengaluru and the 70th birthday of its founder, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The celebrations attracted thousands of global visitors, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, religious leaders, and parliamentary delegations from South Africa, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Peace, Ethical Leadership, and Youth Empowerment
During her visit, Dlamini-Zuma met with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and explored the foundation’s extensive community upliftment initiatives. Addressing the global gathering, she emphasised the importance of peace, ethical leadership, and investing in young people as foundations for sustainable development. Dlamini-Zuma noted that the gathering reflected the “unifying power of leadership rooted in service and community upliftment,” highlighting that Africa’s development depends on “social cohesion, integrity and humility.”
Dlamini-Zuma toured the Sri Sri Rural Development Programme Trust, observing practical skills training programs in cutting-edge fields such as drone technology, solar power, electric vehicles, and mobile phone repairs. She commended these initiatives for directly addressing the critical challenges of youth unemployment and food security.
Breakthroughs in Soil Sciences and Regenerative Organic Agriculture
Furthermore, she lauded the foundation’s breakthroughs in soil sciences and regenerative organic agriculture, alongside its holistic healthcare systems at the Sri Sri College of Ayurvedic Science and Research Hospital, which integrates modern medicine with traditional wellness systems. Reflecting on the African Union’s Agenda 2063 vision of “an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens,” Dlamini-Zuma concluded that Africa has much to learn from the foundation’s human-centred approach, expressing strong hope for future collaborations to drive youth empowerment and sustainable development across the continent.
Some of the key takeaways from Dlamini-Zuma’s visit include:
- The importance of peace, ethical leadership, and investing in young people for sustainable development
- The need for social cohesion, integrity, and humility in Africa’s development
- The potential for breakthroughs in soil sciences and regenerative organic agriculture to address food security challenges
- The value of holistic healthcare systems that integrate modern medicine with traditional wellness systems
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