African Union Chairman, Guinea’s President,  Alpha Conde, has given a tough-lashing to leaders who come late or leave meetings of  the commission early, AFP news agency has reported.

In his address at the closing ceremony of the annual AU summit in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, 78-year-old Conde noted with regret that African Leaders appear not to take issues concerning the continent seriously, insisting that “From now on we are going to start on time. If we say 10:00 am then we must start at 10:00 am,” he said.

“How can we explain that when we have meetings with outside countries, we are on time; whether it be in China, Japan or India? Why can’t we be on time for our meetings? ” the AU boss queried.

“And why (is it that) when we go to these meetings we stay until the end but when we come from afar to Addis Ababa, we leave right after the opening ceremony?”

Conde’s remarks was reportedly greeted by a big applause – from lower level representatives as many heads of state had already left the AU headquarters.

The Guinean President also criticized the AU for not keeping up with technology, saying that even inside the headquarters, microphones and internet services were not functioning appropriately.

He said: “How can you imagine that in an era of new technology we are still working with microphones from the sixties?

“How can we explain that the internet connection in our headquarters is very slow when next door, at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the internet works better?”

Conde became the AU President following the expiration of the tenure of Idriss Derby, President of the Republic of Chad.

He became Guinea’s president in 2010 in the first democratic election in the West African nation since independence from France in 1958.