African Heads of State and Government have expressed 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), concluded the Fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of AU in Nairobi, Kenya on Sunday with the adoption of a draft declaration.
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.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Mr Dele Alake, 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 continent’s leaders vowed to support the operationalization 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.
The Draft Declaration of the meeting included to “encourage member-states to provide E-visa facilitation for Africans to boost all modes of connectivity and tourism in view of their enormous contributions to socio-economic growth;
“Welcome the excellent developments of operationalization of the AfCFTA Adjustment Facility, Payment an settlement System and Guided Trade Initiative and urge the AfCFTA to scale them up in all African regions;
“Decide to champion the ratification of the Protocol on free movement of persons to support the effective implementation of AfCFTA agenda;
“Urge the AUC to convene the meeting of the Coordination Committee before the end of 2023 to finalize the proposal of division of labor to be submitted to the next Assembly through PRC and Executive Council on the following sectors, Economic Development, Integration, Investment and Industry; Agriculture, Food Security, Blue Economy and Environment; Education, Science, Technology and Innovation; Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development and Transport, Energy and Infrastructure”, it said.
Earlier in his speech 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 emphasized ECOWAS’ commitment to promoting stability, democracy, and economic growth in Africa, underscoring the sub-regional organization’s dedication to good governance, rule of law and democratic values.
The President reaffirmed ECOWAS’ readiness to actively combat security challenges, working towards the integration and prosperity of the region.
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
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