(VOVworld) - The 24th African Union (AU) summit kicked off Friday in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. While the official theme of the two-day meeting is women's empowerment and development, regional conflict and efforts to stem the Ebola virus topped the agenda.

AU summit opens in Ethiopia (Photo: AFP)

The participants also exchanged views on ways to boost sustainable development and deal with regional crisis including the emerging of the rebel group Boko Haram. AU commission chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said terrorism, in particular the brutality of Boko Haram against the people, is a threat to the collective safety, security and development, this has now spread to the region beyond Nigeria and requires a collective, effective and decisive response.

Also topping the agenda is the question of financing regional forces, amid broader debates on funding the African Union.