July 16, (THEWILL) – African Heads of State and Government have declared their commitment to advancing integration, development and cooperation within the continent.
The leaders, representing the Bureau of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) and Chairpersons of the eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs), as well as Regional Mechanisms (RMs), made the declaration at the conclusion of the Fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of AU in Nairobi, Kenya on Sunday.
The meeting, chaired by President Azali Assoumani of Comoros and the Chairperson of the African Union, was attended by President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria and the Chairperson of ECOWAS, as well the Presidents of Kenya, Egypt, Gabon, Djibouti, Libya, Senegal and DR Congo.
Adopting a draft declaration of the meeting, the leaders expressed their support for initiatives aimed at boosting connectivity and tourism within Africa, including the implementation of e-visa facilitation.
They also pledged to champion the ratification of the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons to effectively support the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agenda.
The leaders vowed to support the operationalisation and expansion of key initiatives such as the AfCFTA Adjustment Facility, Payment and Settlement System, and Guided Trade Initiative, aiming to enhance trade facilitation and economic cooperation.
Earlier at the meeting, President Tinubu, in his capacity as the Chairperson of ECOWAS, presented a comprehensive report on the progress and challenges faced in regional integration.
He emphasised ECOWAS’ commitment to promoting stability, democracy, and economic growth in Africa, underscoring the sub-regional organisation’s dedication to good governance, rule of law and democratic values.
President Tinubu reaffirmed ECOWAS’ readiness to actively combat security challenges, working towards the integration and prosperity of the region.
Presenting his report, Tinubu said, “Trade remains the backbone of our integration. Although the Free Trade Area has been attained in ECOWAS, the Customs Union and Common Market have yet to be fully realised. Intra Community trade remains low at around 12%.
“The main products traded across our region remain minerals, food and industrial products. There is a great disparity between member States in terms of capacity to contribute significantly to intra-regional trade ranging from 2% for Cabo Verde to 43% for the Gambia. On the other hand, trade with third parties constitutes the bulk of our external trade.
“The European Union continues to be the major external trading partner of the region, followed by Asia, North America, and the rest of Africa. On average, the region’s trade in goods with the European Union stands at $34.5 billion.
“The region’s trade stands at $27.0 billion with Asia and $9.8 billion with the United States of America. However, informal trade in the region is significant and appears to be growing. The major items of informal exchanges are foodstuff, livestock, fuel, and manufactured consumer goods.
“ECOWAS has been working to consolidate the gains of its trade liberalisation scheme and to enable the private sector to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“The ECOWAS Commission has been supporting its Member States in the negotiations, ratification, and implementation of the AfCFTA. To date, 13 out of the 15 ECOWAS Member States have ratified the AfCFTA.
“ECOWAS is also supporting its Member States to finalise their Draft Schedule of Specific Commitment (DSSC) as part of the negotiations on the five (5) Priority Sectors in Trade in Services.
“In my capacity representing ECOWAS and capacity as Nigeria’s head of state, I affirm we shall keep faith with this year’s theme: Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation.
“Establishing the African free trade area has been a historic achievement, opening the door to continental economic growth and unity and nurturing the brave optimism that comes with these benign goals.
“As Africans, we forge ahead no matter the barriers thrust before us. The world we inhabit is often unkind and uncertain. Past history and current global difficulties argue against our future success.
“Lessons of the past few years teach us that the world economy can be disrupted in ways that halt progress and invite downturn. Our nations can suddenly find themselves in dire situations if we choose to be passive observers of our fate. Such passivity does not commend itself to me.
“I will not listen to it. Neither should any African. The challenges we face mean that governance will be difficult. They also mean that visionary good governance is necessary. Some observers assert a new scramble for Africa is afoot and it is much like the old scramble that plundered our continent.”
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