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Welcome Remarks by H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Chairperson of the African Union Commission

at Africa Day Side Events during the Nineteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Ninth Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to its Kyoto Protocol (COP 19 / CMP 9)

Side Event Room Wroclaw, National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland

19 November 2013

Excellences, Ministers

Representatives of sister insitutions: UNECA, AfDB and NPCA
Representatives of RECs

Members of the Diplomatic Corp
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen,

First and foremost, I would like to convey the warm greetings of H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma for the Africa Day and to welcome you all to the Africa Day Side Events taking place here in this beautiful city of Warsaw, Poland during the Nineteenth Session of the Conference to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Ninth Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to its Kyoto Protocol (COP 19/CMP9).
Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me seize this unique opportunity to recall that in 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique, the African leaders adopted the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) for the Development of Agriculture on the African continent. Excellences, to celebrate the first decade of CAADP, the 19th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in July in 2012 made a Declaration that the Year 2014 becomes the Year of Agriculture and Food Security. The theme of the Africa Day side event today, Climate Change and Agriculture in development in Africa during the 19th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 9th Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to it Kyoto (COP 19/CMP9) taking place today the 19th Day of November 2013 here in Warsaw, Poland is, therefore, very unique, timely and strategic. Excellences permit me to further recall that the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 17) held in 2011 in Durban, South Africa also turned the global attention to the issue of Agriculture in the current Climate Change negotiations. This is also very important and strategic because all events have led to increased awareness on the impacts of climate change in Africa and in particular in the context of adaptation in Africa with special emphasis on Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security to end hunger on the African continent.

Excellences, I am happy to inform you that the African Union Commission is preparing for 2014 by organizing a series of events including today’s event to mobilize support for the African Agricultural Agenda, in the quest for enhancing development in the face of climate change and other mega-trends such as rising population and increasing urbanisation.

Excellences, convening the Africa Day side events today, is further in implementation of another landmark African Union Decision taken by the 20th Ordinary Session held in January 2013 in Addis Ababa, on the Coordination Mechanism of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) and Africa’s preparation for COP 19, which requested the Commission, in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and other partners to step up their efforts and support towards an effective Africa’s preparation for the COP19 so that Africa’s interests are advanced and safeguarded.

Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The celebration of the Africa Day at COP 19 is further unique because in May this year, Africa celebrated 50 years since the founding of the Organization of the African Unity (OAU), and 10 years since the birth of the African Union (AU) under the theme “Pan Africanism and the African Renaissance”. Excellences, Pan Africanism represents the movement to unite Africa and the people of African Descent the world over, working together in solidarity, to fight against injustice including climate justice. The two dimensions of the theme are centrally connected to the idea that Africa is speaking with a unified strong voice in the global climate change negotiations under the able leadership and guidance of a unified structure of the Committee of the African Heads of States and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) and the African Ministerial Conference of Environment (AMCEN) ably serviced by the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN). We are proud and confident of this.

Excellences, the latest Scientific Assessment Report of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released last month indicated that the effect of climate change is due to human influence and would lead to extreme weather temperature and patterns in Africa thereby affecting our Agricultural sector with the dire need to support development of National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPAs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in Agriculture.

Excellences, I would, therefore, stress that the need for solutions to address African agriculture in the face of adverse impacts of climate change cannot be effective unless they are supported by appropriate means of implementation such as finance and technology transfer and development. In this regard, Africa demands that adequate finance and technology is essential for the development of the African Agricultural Agenda. At the same time, we continue to call for all polluters to commit to ambitious green house gas emissions which otherwise would continue to undermine or development trajectory.

I thank you all for your kind attention, and wish you all Happy Africa Day Celebrations!

STATEMENT BY HER EXCELLENCY DR. NKOSAZANA DLAMINI ZUMA
CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION

AT THE OPENING SESSION OF THE 3RD AFRICA-ARAB SUMMIT

TO CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

KUWAIT CITY, STATE OF KUWAIT
TUESDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2013

Your Highness, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jabar Al Sabah, the Emir of the State of Kuwait and Chairperson of the Third Africa-Arab Summit,

Your Excellency, Mr. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, Chairperson of the African Union and Co-Chairperson of the Third Africa-Arab Summit,

Your Excellency, Mr. Nouri Abou Sahmen, President of the General National Congress of Libya and Co-Chairperson of the 2nd Africa-Arab Summit,

Your Excellency, Mr. Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Republic of Gabon and Co-Chairperson of the 2nd Africa-Arab Summit,

Your Majesties and Highnesses,

Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government,

Your Excellency, Dr. Nabil Al Araby, Secretary General of the League of Arab States,

Your Excellency, Mr. Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations,

Your Excellencies, Heads and Representatives of the Gulf Co-operation Council, the Arab Parliament, the World Bank, the Islamic Cooperation Organization, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the African Development Bank, and other collaborative Arab and African Financial and Technical Organizations,

Representatives of International and Regional Organizations,

Your Excellency, Mr. Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission,

Your Excellencies Heads of Delegations,

Distinguished Delegates,

Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

Let me start by expressing our heartfelt gratitude to His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jabar Al-Sabah, and to the Government and friendly people of Kuwait for the hospitality and warm reception accorded to our delegations since arrival in this great country.

We thank His Highness for his personal concern and unflinching commitment to the objectives of Africa-Arab solidarity. We follow with great admiration the initiatives that His Highness continuously unveils to consolidate the long-standing relations between Africa and the Arab world. The hosting of this Summit is a clear manifestation of this commitment.

Our gratitude also to all Heads of State and Government and Heads of Delegations of African and Arab Countries, the Guest of Honors and Heads of International and Regional Organizations, who are present here today.

We express appreciation to the two co-Chairpersons of the 2nd Afro-Summit, His Excellency the President of Gabon and His Excellency the President of the General National Congress of Libya, for their stewardship of this partnership that brought us together today.

Your Majesties and Highnesses,
Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government,

It is now more than 36 years since the first Afro-Arab Summit was held in Cairo, Egypt, in March 1977. This summit solidified the centuries-long history between the two regions and its peoples, and moved our relations, solidarity and cooperation into new directions.

We are meeting today, in the year that Africa is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity, now the African Union, which remains a major proponent of the goal of Afro-Arab unity. This unity today takes place in a world that has changed dramatically since 1977, and with equally dramatic changes in our respective regions.

As Africa celebrates its Golden Jubilee, we are determined to bequeath to the next generations a continent that is integrated, peaceful and prosperous.

The available data positions Africa as a new growth pole, where returns on investments in virtually every sector - from infrastructure to ICT, and from retail, health to manufacturing - are higher than any other part of the world.

A number of mega trends are also in our favour. Africa’s population is set to double in the next few decades, its middle class is growing exponentially, it is rapidly urbanising and it has a young population. We are the only continent whose working age population as proportion of the total population is set to grow rather than shrink.

Over halve of our population are women, and we know that the empowerment of women brings about multiplying social, economic and political benefits not only to families and communities, but also to countries and regions.

Africa remains well-endowed with mineral, energy and other natural resources, such as maritime, land, water and forests.

We are determined to make the positive trajectory that we are currently on irreversible, to build an Africa that is prosperous and peaceful and that takes it rightful place in the world.

Amongst our Pan African priorities are therefore the scaling up of investment in a healthy and skilled population, in infrastructure: transport (road, rail, aviation and shipping), energy, ICT, water, sanitation and other economic and social infrastructure; diversification of our economies, beneficiation of our natural resources; and expanding agriculture and agro-processing.

We have in common our young populations, who if we invest in their skills, education, health care, and provide them with opportunities for economic and social participation; will be the drivers of our collective innovation, creativity and prosperity.

We can also learn from the countries of this region, who over a short space of time used its natural resources to modernize economies, expand infrastructure, develop your people and build shared prosperity.

Your Majesties and Highnesses,
Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government,

As developing countries, Africa and the Arab region share a common past and future. Over the last decade, the two regions experienced progress, but at the same time we have experienced conflicts, aggression and terrorism, with terrible consequences on our people, especially women, children and the elderly.

In the face of these challenges, like in 1977, the two regions must continue to strengthen their cooperation and jointly tackle common concerns, using our different comparative advantages to build a partnership based on mutual respect and solidarity.

We must in this regard reaffirm our support for the latest negotiations between Palestine and Israel.

We are confident that the preparatory work done by our Officials and by the meetings of Ministers, encapsulated in the draft Declaration, lays a solid foundation for Africa-Arab cooperation around issues of peace, human security and migration; around trade, investment, infrastructure and agriculture; and more generally on political, social and cultural cooperation.

We must continue to build links amongst our respective regional organisations, our governments and states, our financial institutions, private sectors, civil society, cultural and educational institutions.

I would therefore like to assure Your Highnesses and Excellencies of Africa’s commitment to spare no effort to implement the decisions of this Summit and further advance its cooperation with Arab partners toward the realization of the aspirations of our peoples.

I thank you very much and wish the 3rd Africa-Arab Summit a resounding success.

STATEMENT BY H.E. AMBASSADOR JEAN-BAPTISTE NATAMA
CHIEF OF STAFF, BUREAU OF THE CHAIRPERSON, AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION AT THE INVESTMENT SYMPOSIUM

KUWAIT CITY, STATE OF KUWAIT
18 NOVEMBER 2013

Excellency
Excellencies Members of Government of the State of Kuwait
Representatives of Regional and International Organizations
Members of the Private Sector
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

I wish to begin by expressing my gratitude to all of you for taking time off your busy schedules to participate in this significant Investment Symposium being held in this beautiful capital city of Kuwait, State of the Kuwait. Please accept our warm welcome. I also wish to thank the Government and the People of this nice and hospitable country of Kuwait for hosting this Symposium and making available all these excellent facilities before us. I also wish to join hands with you in thanking Direct Aid, the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry, for accepting to jointly host this symposium with the African Union Commission.

Excellencies
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen

Africa with the globe’s third largest population (15% of the world population), is not only a significant reservoir of human resources ready for active engagement in the continental and global economy, but also a vast potential market for both global traders and investors. According to the McKinsey & Co Report, about half of Africa’s one billion people will live in cities by 2030 from about 40 percent now and the continent’s top 18 cities will have combined spending power of $1.3 trillion.

The African continent is endowed with enormous natural and mineral resources. For instance, Africa accounts for 10 percent of global crude-oil reserves, 75 percent of Cobalt, 47 percent of Diamond, 80 percent of Platinum, 40 percent of Chrome, 38 percent of Uranium, 32 percent of Gold and 28 percent of Manganese. Moreover, the continent is rich with abundant flora and fauna, which renders it highly suitable for the promotion and development of eco-tourism. Thus, investment opportunities are abundant in the mining and tourism sectors. Africa is also largely agricultural based and provides opportunities for agro-processing and manufacturing.

Excellencies
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

It is also the case that the rate of return on foreign investment is higher in Africa than in any other developing region, according to McKinsey and Co. Report. This means that Africa provides excellent investment opportunities for both the domestic and foreign investor.

For Africa to attract investment and record solid growth rates on a sustainable basis, appropriate macroeconomic policies are being formulated and implemented. There is also proper economic governance to ensure that macroeconomic fundamentals are right for economies to perform well.

Among other things, trade and financial markets have been liberalized in many African countries, the number of days it takes to process business permits and licenses have been reduced, a number of state-owned entities have been privatized to improve efficiency and competitiveness, and a number of countries are investing more in infrastructure development. Issues relating to controlling inflation, adopting appropriate exchange rate regimes, setting optimal interest rates and management of other economic variables have resulted in the adoption of appropriate fiscal and monetary policies in many of the African countries. These measures have contributed to improved competitiveness, high economic growth rates, and increased job creation.

These reforms have, among others, resulted in increased volume of investment. According to UNCTAD “World Investment Report 2010”, Foreign Direct Investment into Africa rose to $88 billion in 2010 from $9 billion in 2000, resulting in an increase of foreign direct investment (FDI) stock in the region to $ 511 billion. Further, the total value of the cross-border Merger & Acquisition sales in Africa reached its highest level: US$21 billion in 2010 (US$8 billion in 2007).

To pursue these impressive results, we need to build on infrastructure gaps which could enhance opportunities for investment, from the private sector and public-private partnerships. Private Sector is essential and could mobilize financial resources, help fill the gap towards sustainable infrastructure development and above all promote a more inclusive growth that can be translated into effective poverty reduction.

Excellencies
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

The recent Arab-Africa Economic Forum which took place between 11-12 November 2013, in Kuwait has underscored the need for Africa and Arab countries to deepen practical cooperation in diverse areas (African cooperation in the field of development, Food Security, Investments, Trade Exchange and Non-Governmental Organizations) so as to push forward in an all-round way the new type of Africa Arab strategic partnership. I wish to make, in this connection, the following two proposals:

First, strengthen strategic coordination to uphold common interests. The two sides should maintain high-level exchanges, engage in closer political dialogue and consultations and step up coordination and cooperation on major global issues of mutual interest, with the view of increasing the voice and representation of developing countries in the international system and jointly build a more just and reasonable international political and economic order.

Second, enhance economic cooperation and trade to realize mutual benefit and win-win progress. The strong economic complementarity between Africa and Arab regions offers us broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation. We should work hard to increase investment flows, speedily reverse the investment downturn recently recorded. Africa and Arab countries will encourage more enterprises from both regions to invest in Africa and ask them to shoulder more social responsibilities and live in amity with the local people. We will combine economic cooperation, investment and trade with technology transfer and take active steps to launch technical and managerial personnel toward target beneficiaries.

Excellencies
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen

Until the advent of the global economic and financial crisis, Africa had been on a relatively impressive growth trajectory, recording an average growth rate of about 6% per annum. This was no surprise, in view of the efforts across the continent to bring about rapid socio-economic development through a series of reforms aimed at improving macroeconomic management, strengthening institutions and improving the investment climate, among others. African economies have been generally resilient to the crisis, despite the negative effects of reduced demand for products and a decline in the level of remittances, just to mention a few.

Realizing this critical role of the private sector, the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government at their Summit in January 2005 in Abuja, Nigeria, decided to institutionalize the African Union Private Sector Forum as an annual event to provide an interface between the African Union policy makers and private sector actors. Since taking this decision, five Forums have been organized in different African Union member states which have made important recommendations in support of private sector development in Africa for the consideration of AU Member States, private sector actors, and other key stakeholders.

In line with these recommendations, the AU Policy Organs have adopted instruments such as the African Union Private Sector Development Strategy and Action Plan, the African Union Micro-Finance Policy Framework and Action Plan, the African Union’s Minimum Integration Programme, the African Agri-Business and Agro-Industries Development Initiative (3ADI), PIDA (Programme on Infrastructure Development in Africa), the CAADP (Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Porgramme).

Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is renowned today that enterprise development, trade and investment play significant role in the creation of value chains and is vital in the attainment of economic growth, employment and poverty reduction in African countries.

More specifically, Small and Medium-Size Enterprises are the engine of the economic development through the development of the private sectors for Africa as well as for Arab. The Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises contribute to boost the exports, transfer of technology, generate employment, and increase regional trade as well as entrepreneurship.

It is therefore important to heap on our efforts in ensuring financing of small and medium-sized projects through supporting maneuver of national development banks and social funds in the Arab and African regions due to their role in reducing unemployment and providing new business opportunities in the area of private sector.

I need to reveal that at the African Union Commission level, we are also looking at developing strategic partnership between the African private sector and those of other regions including the Arab world.

Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

African Union Commission attaches great importance to boosting the Arab Africa strategic cooperation in all fields of common interests and we should therefore redouble our efforts to achieve the remaining objectives before our next symposium.

Successful development experiences over recent decades have consistently confirmed that good governance, sound economic environment and well-functioning physical and social infrastructure are essential ingredients for fostering private sector-led growth.

We welcome you and all those who wish to support the Africa’s development priorities, such as development of infrastructure, policies aiming at the processing and adding value to raw materials, regional integration, capacity building and human resource development.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me seize this opportunity to invite all Africa-Arab Businessmen and Businesswomen to support a formation of a platform for meaningful engagement between the African and Arab business actors. I invite you all to support these efforts through modernizing the export oriented industrial supply systems and positively responding to the ever increasing global demand for food and other agricultural products owing, among others, to urbanization, population growth and rising middle class in Africa as well as in the Arab world.

I wish you very fruitful deliberations and thank you for your kind attention.

I thank you.