South Korean President Park Geun-hye will be a guest of honor at the 22nd African Union (AU) summit to be held at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, announced an AU official on Tuesday.

With the theme of "Transforming Africa's Agriculture: Harnessing Opportunities for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development," the AU meetings are set for January 21-31.

The 27th ordinary session of the AU Permanent Representatives Committee is being held from Jan. 21 to 23, to be followed by the 24th ordinary session of the AU Executive Council on January 27-28. The summit of the heads of state is arranged for January 30-31.

Speaking to the press on the preparation of the summit, Jean Mfasoni, Secretary General of AU Commission, revealed that the South Korean president will be guest of honor and guest speaker at the opening of the AU summit on January 30.

"We have our guest of honor, we expect her Excellency the President of South Korea, who has been invited as a guest of honor, and guest speaker at the opening. We have also, we are expecting also the President of Haiti to attend the summit," he said.

According to the official, President of Palestine, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, the UN Deputy Secretary- General as well as a number of foreign ministers from friendly non- African countries among others are expected to attend the upcoming AU summit.

Mfasoni also stated that the coming summit will be electing a new chairperson of the African Union, for which he said Mauritania has been proposed by the north region.

"We have a new chairperson of the African Union, who will be coming from the north and Mauritania has been proposed by the region, by the north region to assume the chairmanship of the organization for 2014," he said.

"Mauritania has been nominated by the north region. So, it is the time of the region to assume the chairmanship; nominated by the region," he said.

Ethiopia, from East Africa, was elected to assume the year-long chairmanship of the pan-African bloc last year.