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Speech of Her Excellency the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Dr. Elham M.A. Ibrahim Building a Sustainable Future for Africa Welcome Remarks at the Africa Climate Resilient Infrastructure Summit Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Speech of Her Excellency the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy

Dr. Elham M.A. Ibrahim

Building a Sustainable Future for Africa

Welcome Remarks at the

Africa Climate Resilient Infrastructure Summit

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
27 - 29April, 2015

 Excelencies African Ministers
 Distinguished Representatives of African Member States
 Distinguished Representaiveand Delegates from the International, Public and Private Organizations;
 Distinguished Representatives and Delegates from Development Institutions and Development Partners;
 Distinguished Experts;
 Ladies and Gentlemen:

All Protocols Observed:
1. I greet you all on behalf of the African Union Commission and on my own behalf, at this very important event, the "Africa Climate Resilient Infrastructure Summit”.

2. First of all, I would like to extend my gratitude to all the sponsors and organisers of this important Summit, I am also happy that the focus of this Summit brings to the fore, the need to ensure climate change resilience in developing Africa's infrastructure.

3. This is more so important as Africa is currently at the stage of building its infrastructure both at the national and regional levels, which are all geared towards achieving a Sustainable Future for Africa. Africa's vision for a sustainable future involves addressing its many developmental challengesincluding poverty reduction and jobs creation, achievements of the MDGs, expansion of modern energy and healthcare services, etc. Although some gains have been recorded in many African countries in terms of these developmental challenges in the last decade, climate change poses significant threats to the continued development efforts in African countries.

4. There is an ample amount of evidence that climate change is already impacting negatively on key areas/sectors in Africa including agriculture and food security, water supply, healthcare, energy and regional security, biodiversity, etc. For example, in terms of Agriculture and Food Security, over 90% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa depends on rain-fed agriculture. Extreme weather conditions such as persistent droughts and floods are projected to compromise agricultural productivity in terms of yield potential, length of growing season and arable land resources. In terms of energy security, climate change related factors such as drying of lakes and rivers and persistent droughts will decrease water flow to hydropower dams. Coupled with the increasing depletion of biomass stock due to unsustainable consumption and climate change, the region will experience reduced energy availability that will have negative implications on development.

Distinguished Experts and Delegates:
Ladies and Gentlemen:

5. Currently, Africa stands out as the most vulnerable region to the impacts of climate change, despite accounting for less than 4% of the global GHG emissions. One of the major reasons for the high vulnerability in Africa is the low levels of infrastructure to adequately adapt to the impacts of a changing climate. The high vulnerability of the Region to the impacts of climate change is also directly linked to the developmental challenges facing the continent including weak economies and institutions, widespread poverty, limited human, financial and technical capacities, conflicts and inadequate social infrastructure.

6. To Consider in the implementation of the PIDA projects the impactof the large infrastructure projects in the climate change especially in hydropower and irrigation

7. To address the climate change problem in Africa, there is a vital need to mainstream climate change into development policies, which will provide opportunities for designing climate-resilient and low carbon development pathways for Africa.The benefits of following a low carbon and climate-resilient development in Africa include meeting our development challenges while also adapting to, and mitigating the impacts of climate change at the same time.

Distinguished Experts and Delegates:
Ladies and Gentlemen:

8. There is no doubt that increasing weather events across the world – droughts, floods, cyclones, severe storms, heat waves, etc – indicate that climate-proofing of current and future infrastructure is of utmost importance and it also provides a sustainable and cost-effective option in the long-run.

9. In Africa, vital infrastructure including power systems, roads, rail and communication, buildings, etc., are clearly vulnerable to weather events. However, the currently low levels of infrastructure on the continent provide Africa with ample opportunities to integrate the climate change dimension into its infrastructure development plans. Therefore, there is a great need to take into account climate change in designing, building and managing our infrastructure. Although climate-proofing of our infrastructures will add significant economic costs to our development goals, it provides a cost-effective opportunity in the long-run while also ensuring environmental and social benefits.

10. For Africa, ensuring a climate-proof and sustainable future will entail:
i. Integrating climate-change policies into planning and implementation processes.
ii. Repositioning current policies to stimulate adoption of climate change strategies and opportunities in our institutional frameworks, and financial and capital markets.
iii. Introduction and promotion of innovative and climate financing initiatives as well as mobilising private sector participation.
iv. Enhance technical capacity building that ensures technical innovations, and technology transfer and adoption.
v. Informed decision-making through awareness creation, and research and development.

11. This Summit provides an excellent platform for our experts, policy-makers and partners to engage in fruitful deliberations and make recommendations on the way forward in enhancing the climate resilience of Africa's infrastructure. For the African Union Commission (AUC), one of our mandates is to ensure the implementation of large regional infrastructure on the continent in several key sectors including Power, Transport and ICT sectors. We are very keen to understand and deliberate on the range of vulnerabilities we could expect on our current and future infrastructure plans, the costs implications, and also the various ways and strategies that could be deployed to address these range of vulnerabilities.

12. I also believe that this Summit is going to serve as a wake-up call for our institutions and decision-makers to consider the likely impacts of climate change on our existing and planned infrastructure in various key sectors in Africa.

13. I would like to thank everyone here for attending this important Summit, and most importantly for their continuing efforts in addressing Africa's development agenda.

I thank you all for your kind attention.

Dates: 
April 27, 2015
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Speech by H.E. Dr. Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko, the Commissioner for Social Affairs, African Union Commission on the occasion of the High-level Dialogue on Defeating Malaria in Africa by 2030, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Speech

The big push to defeat malaria in Africa-African Union and African Leaders Malaria Alliance high-level dialogue on ending malaria by 2030
H.E. Dr. Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
25 April 2015
 

The big push to defeat malaria in Africa-African Union and African Leaders Malaria Alliance high-level dialogue on ending malaria by 2030

Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen

Let me take this opportunity to welcome you all and commend the leadership of the African Union for maintaining the malaria response high on Africa’s health and development agenda.

Commitments made at the 2000 Abuja Summit on malaria strengthened leadership to achieve concrete control targets. AIDS Watch Africa (AWA) established in 2001 and the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), launched in 2009, unites the Heads of State and Government of African countries, harnessing their collective will to strengthen Malaria elimination through taking leadership to mobilise the resources needed to address malaria in an effective, sustainable and accountable manner.

This year’s commemorations come at an auspicious time when the progress in responding to malaria in Africa includes a 54% decline in malaria mortality rates and a reduction of malaria mortality rates among children by 58% since 2000. Increased political commitment and increased funding have helped to reduce malaria incidence by 34% in Africa. In spite of these tremendous results however Africa continues to account for 82% of malaria cases and 90% of malaria deaths worldwide.

However the Abuja 2000 malaria targets and the Millennium Development Goals malaria related targets remain an unfinished business. As the world rethinks and fine-tunes the new framework of sustainable development goals that will supersede the current development goals Africa should remain at the forefront of the thought leadership to fast track its development aspirations.

The review of the Abuja Call this year recommended its extension to 2030 in line with the 2013 Abuja Declaration which outlines key actions to defeat malaria. Africa has already demonstrated this deep reflection and pace setting through the African Common Position on the Post 2015 Development Agenda and the reengineering of Africa’s health priorities in the context of a new health architecture better prepared for disease surveillance and response.

Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen

However Africa remains the continent most heavily affected by malaria, with particularly severe effects on maternal and child health. While malaria was eradicated from most places on the globe, it remains a major killer on the continent. With the science and medical advancements available to eliminate this disease this is unacceptable. An estimated 80% of the world’s malaria cases and 90% of malaria-related deaths occur in sub- Saharan Africa, and in children aged under 5 years, who account for 78% of all deaths. Children under 5 years and pregnant women are the most vulnerable populations who bear an outsized burden of this disease’s deadly toll.

Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen

To address malaria there is need to ensure that sufficient resources are guaranteed to mount an effective response. There were exponential increases in funding and implementation for malaria control programmes over the past decade. International disbursements for malaria control significantly increased, rising from less than US$ 0.5 per case (US$ 100 million total spend) in 2000 to more than US$ 8 per case in 2012 (US$ 1.84 billion total spend). These increased funds were focused on Africa. This investment substantially improved the outlook for Malaria control in Africa. Today more households than ever own at least one insecticide-treated bed net (ITN).

Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen

However according to the current statistics over half (US$2.8 billion) of the estimated annual global resource requirement is still unfunded which threatens to slow down progress as high-burden African countries are unable to replace expiring long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLNs). However there is a greater need to ensure that African countries continue to step up efforts for domestic financing for health to ensure sustainability in alignment with the African Union Roadmap for Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity for AIDS, TB and Malaria Response.

Why do we need a big push to defeat Malaria? We need the big push for two reasons (1) existing funding gaps for malaria which are estimated at approximately US$972 million in 2015 threaten to reverse the gains already achieved in the past decade and (2) malaria causes out-of-pocket expenditure for households and loss of productivity to the economy resulting in massive losses to economic growth, with an estimated cost of US$ 12 billion each year in lost productivity in Africa alone.

The African Union Commission’s strategic plan (2014-2017), 2013 Abuja Declaration, the AU Roadmap and the African Union Common Position on the Post 2015 Development Agenda all provide a solid framework to ensure ownership including increased domestic financing while still taking into account the fundamental importance of development cooperation and global solidarity.

New data suggests that for every US $1 invested in malaria in Africa, an estimated US $40 Gross Domestic Product is generated in return. But recent economic crises have left an estimated annual funding gap of US $1 billion in 2015 in Africa alone. This is a real threat that can unravel the gains made against this preventable and treatable disease. As much of the continent expands at unprecedented rates, enormous leadership and political will continue to play an increasingly critical role through domestic financing as the continent works to overcome pressing health challenges into a more prosperous and sustainable future.

The 2015 continental World Malaria Day will be celebrated under the global theme “Invest in the future: defeat malaria” to emphasise the centrality of continued investment in health systems and community systems. The theme resonates with the Abuja Declarations and AU Roadmap for Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity to accelerate innovative domestic financing and to ensure sustained and predictable funding.

As much of the continent expands at unprecedented rates, enormous leadership and political will continue to play an increasingly critical role through both international and domestic financing as the continent works to overcome pressing global health challenges, like malaria, and into a more prosperous and sustainable future.

Let me take this opportunity to thank various development partners who continue to support the continental malaria response. These include The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, USAID, DFID and various UN agencies.

-No one can deliver on Africa’s development better than Africa itself

- We have what it takes to end Malaria. The time for action is NOW!

-We have what it takes to defeat Malaria. The time for action is NOW! I thank you

Dates: 
April 25, 2015
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OPENING STATEMENT BY H.E. DR. MUSTAPHA S. KALOKO COMMISSIONER FOR SOCIAL AFFAIRS AT THE 1ST MEETING OF THE SPECIALISED TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (STC-SDLE-1)

OPENING STATEMENT BY

H.E. DR. MUSTAPHA S. KALOKO
COMMISSIONER FOR SOCIAL AFFAIRS

AT THE 1ST MEETING OF THE SPECIALISED TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (STC-SDLE-1)
Theme: “Social Protection for Inclusive Development”

NELSON MANDELLA HALL, AU HQ
23 APRIL 2015
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Honourable Ministers from AU Member States and Brazil participating in this Ministerial Meeting,
Distinguished Chairperson and Members of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child,
Distinguished Experts and Social Partners from Member States,
Esteemed UN Partners,
Partners from the CSO community, in the fields of children, persons with disabilities and older persons,
Representatives of Women and Youth Organisations,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I bring you the greetings of H.E. Dr Nkosozana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the AU Commission, who wished to be here, but who is still returning from a meeting with the EU in Brussels.
Let me start by emphasizing how high the theme of this meeting, namely “Social Protection for Inclusive Development”, is on the African Union Agenda. The AU Assembly adopted the African Union Agenda 2063 in January 2015. Agenda 2063 claims that the Africa of 2063 will be a “compassionate and caring society”. Aspiration 1 of the AU Agenda 2063 aims at a “Prosperous Africa based on Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development”. Its Goals 1, 2 and 3 of are built on the life cycle approach of social protection, as reflected in the AU Social Policy Framework and the ILO Social Protection Floors.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The First Goal of Agenda 2063 is aiming at “A high standard of living, quality of life and well-being for all citizens”. It will be pursued through a set of interlinked priority areas, which are, and I quote:
1. Affordable social security and protection for all
2. Increase incomes and provide decent jobs for working age adults
3. End poverty and eliminate hunger and malnutrition Unquote
The thrust is to “leave no one behind” in the pursuit of growth and development, through appropriate and well managed social protection and social security policies and programmes. This means that we should put in place policies to ensure that growth benefits the poor and the marginalized, which mostly include women, elderly, people with disabilities and people from socially excluded groups.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Social protection systems are investments with a multiplier effect that promote sustainable development, inclusive economic growth, job creation, promote local markets, improving occupational and economic inclusion.
The first order of business here is to make sure that social protection is grounded on human rights, including social, economic, cultural as well as civil and political rights. The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights stipulates that every individual shall have the right to liberty and to the security of his person. This encompasses the rights of social protection and social security for the person. The Charter further elaborates on the right to work under equitable and satisfactory conditions, and shall receive equal pay for equal work, and the right to enjoy the best attainable state of physical and mental health. It also stipulates the rights of older persons and of persons with disabilities to special measures of protection in keeping with their physical or moral needs. Subsequently, in terms of the provisions of Article 66 of the Charter, we have developed protocols on the rights of older persons and persons with disabilities, respectively.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Would it not be prudent and farsighted to develop a Protocol on Social Protection and Social Security, also in view of the aspirations of Agenda 2063? I ask this question, because Africa lags far behind other world regions on the 4 basic pillars of Social Protection Floors as components of the Minimum Social Protection Package advocated for by the AU Social Policy Framework, and I wish to highlight them: Essential Health Care for All, Income Security for Children and Families; Income Security for Women and Men in Working age; and Income security for older persons.
On social protection for Children and Families, Africa expends 0,2% of its GDP with 42% of children as share of the total population, compared to 0,2% of GDP for its 26.5% of children in the total population in the Asian region, and 0.7% of GDP for their 27.9% of children in Latin America. On Social protection for Women and Men of Working Age, Africa allocates only 0.5 of GDP for 56.1 % of its population, compared to 1.5% and for 68.4% of this population in Asia, and 5.1 on 66% men and women of working age in Latin America. On Social Protection for Older Women and Men, Africa allocates 1.3% of GDP compared to 2.0 in Asia and 4.6% in Latin America.
The most important policy gap on social insurance, concerns the informal economy and rural workers who make up approximately 80% of the labour force in the continent. Indeed, we must acknowledge that the specifics of African labour markets, dominated by informal and rural occupations, open up large avenues for a mix of contributory and non-contributory social protection regimes in our countries. The challenge is further amplified by the demographic dividend of the continent, meaning that we don’t have the largest proportion of adults to contribute to social security. To address these challenges, in January 2015, the AU Assembly adopted the Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment, Poverty Eradication and Inclusive Development. These policy instruments are based on six Key Priority Areas with one dedicated to Social Protection and Productivity, thus highlighting the interplay between social protection, productivity, poverty eradication and inclusive development.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
A series of constraints limit the achievements on the social protection front. The main limitations relate to the challenges of coordination, fiscal space and funding, overall governance frameworks, including institutional capacity, monitoring and evaluation, stakeholders and beneficiaries participation, knowledge and statistics, political will and vision embracing social protection for all. There are also particular challenges on the effectiveness and efficiency of the existing legal contributory social security regimes covering the workers in the formal economy. The mentioned constraints, and others, are well documented and require comprehensive policies at all levels.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have underlined the historic and opportune time for Africa to adopt a Protocol on Social Protection and Social Security. Considering the constraints faced in the implementation of the policy documents alluded to above, this rights based approach of the Protocol should furthermore be supplemented and supported by a Social Protection Agenda to be developed within the framework of the AU Agenda 2063, and to constitute the programmatic component of an African Social Development Architecture. This will ensure that economic and social commitments are pursued in tandem, reinforcing each other for well-balanced development.
Allow me to repeat the two essential future steps to be taken:
• Development of a Protocol on Social Protection and Social Security; and
• Development of a Social Protection Agenda for Africa in line with the AU Agenda 2063.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Based on your deliberations today and tomorrow, this First STC on Social Development, Labour and Employment will also consider a Declaration for submission to the Summit in June 2015. I understand that frank discussions have taken place in the Experts’ meeting, among others on the effectiveness and impact of social protection policies, and that best practices in the development, financing and management of social protection policies have been shared.
I wish to conclude with reference again to the theme of this STC meeting, namely, “Social Protection for Inclusive Development”. Indeed, for development to be sustainable, it needs to be inclusive, and in this regard, all members of society have the right to contribute to the development of their communities and countries. In turn, societies should provide its members with the opportunities, space and support for them to make their contributions.
I wish you fruitful deliberations.
Thank you.

Dates: 
April 23, 2015
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Remarks by Treasure Thembisile Maphanga, Director of Trade and Industry, Representing H. E. Commissioner Fatima Haram Acyl African Union Commission – “Towards a continental integration agenda”

Remarks by Treasure Thembisile Maphanga, Director of Trade and Industry, Representing H. E. Commissioner Fatima Haram Acyl
African Union Commission – “Towards a continental integration agenda”

Ladies and Gentlemen;
Distinguished Participants;

H.E. Commissioner Acyl extends her greetings and apologies for not being able to join this important conference. Allow me to take this auspicious opportunity to sincerely thank tralac for inviting the African Union Commission and choosing such an impressive and modern theme of “Towards a continental Integration Agenda”. All topics to be discussed in this conference are equally important. Be it the Architecture of the Continental Free Trade Area; industrial policy; Trade Remedies and Dispute Settlement in African RECs; the proposed Tripartite Non-tariff Barrier Elimination Mechanism; Services regulatory issues; an update on regional trade in services developments, and the Tripartite Free Trade Area.

Ladies and Gentlemen;

Africa’s integration initiative is embedded within the Abuja Treaty (signed on 3rd June 1991) – the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community through the following stages: Strengthening of Regional Economic Communities; Establishment of a Continental Customs Union; Implementation of Common Sector Policies; and Establishment of a Continental Common Market.

That’s why the January 2012 Summit of Heads of States and Government endorsed the Action Plan on Boosting Intra African Trade (BIAT) and decided on the establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area by an indicative date of 2017. The Action Plan has seven clusters on; trade policy, trade facilitation, productive capacity, trade related infrastructure, trade finance, trade information and factor market integration. It is believed that development and implementation of projects in each of the clusters will increase intra African trade substantially by the next decade. The AU has adopted the Strategy on Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa ( AIDA), sectoral programmes such as the Common African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), the Programme for Infrastructure Development ( PIDA), the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) and Action Plan and so forth. These sectoral policy frameworks are aready being implemented by the AUC, RECs and member states. Agenda 2063 which is a visionary framework for the continent will provide an impetus to have a people-driven approach to implementing, monitoring and evaluation of continental programmes. More than ever before, the African Union is engaging all stakeholders on the continent in the implementation of these continental programmes, especially the private sector and civil society.

Distinguished Participants;
Ladies and Gentlemen;

Africa’s integration is not a matter of choice. It is rather imperative. The African market at 1.1 billion people is one of the biggest in the world with a growing middle class, the highest number of young people, and the rate of urbanization ranking one of the highest in the world. Africa is indeed the world's fastest growing but least globally integrated continent. In order to benefit from the looming deepening of integration at sub-regional to continental levels, African countries must be able to produce tradable manufactured products that will enable them to enhance or boost cross border or intra-regional trade in manufactured goods. Total African trade in 2012 was around $630 billion with the biggest proportionm 38.3% or $240 billion of this trade, going to and from the EU, 25.3% to Asia and North America enjoying only 11.7% of Africa's trade with intra- African trade of $81billion (13%).

However, intra African trade is growing faster than exports to the rest of the world. From 2000 – 2010, exports to the rest of the world grew by only 2/3rds of the rate of exports within Africa which has been growing at a rate of 13.5% annually in the same period. Notwithstanding, while imports into Africa grew faster than in any other region of the world, the share of these imports going to African producers was minimal. Imports have grown twice as fast as exports, averaging 13.8% per year but African countries have least participated in this import growth. The enabling environment has seldom been directed to domestic industries as it is directed to foreign direct investment (FDI).

Intra-African exports are somehow fairly diversified, 46% of intra-African trade comprises of manufactured goods, according to a study conducted by UNECA in 2011. Trade in Manufactured and intermediate goods enjoyed more dynamism among the sub-regional groupings than at continental level. So as we discuss the CFTA, it is imperative to consider how we can boost our intra-African trade in manufactured and intermediate goods. This requires accelerating Industrialization through promotion of regional value chains. For this to happen we need to build our domestic industries productive capacities and technological, capabilities through regional value chains by giving focus on 5 key areas: infrastructure, trade facilitation, Rules of Origin, trade Finance and Quality Infrastructure.

The Good News! Empirical studies revealed that implementation of the CFTA will double intra-African trade to 22% by 2022. The CFTA and the implementation of the Action Plan on Boosting Intra-African trade will lead to the structural transformation for the continental economy driven by value addition is of industrial goods and increased competitiveness of services. Trade creation amongst African countries as a result of CFTA implementation will see an increase in welfare. Furthermore, various analytical assessments have underscored the dynamic impact of increased trade among African countries for industrial development, better infrastructure connectivity, and economies of scale, enhanced competitiveness and structural transformation.

Distinguished Participants;
Ladies and Gentlemen;

Lowering the cost of production is critical for boosting Africa's competitiveness. This requires huge investment in infrastructure mainly transport, ICT and energy. A mix of policy prescription that allow backward and forward linkages in infrastructure investment would support domestic production and accelerate industrialization. Likewise simplifying regional import and export procedures can boost intra-African trade in manufactured products. Trade in services used to be seen as a separate agenda before we had understood the implications of global value chains and the rise of the importance of the service sector in our economies.
As we move into negotiations of CFTA we should ensure that we put in place the Rules of origin that favour regional value chains and to promote made in Africa branding as well as the promotion of trade amongst African countries. This will not only support regional value chains development but will also integrate Africa's small and medium industries into global value chains. Last but not least is the issue of quality infrastructure and the minimizing that Non-Tariff Barriers; Standards and other related quality infrastructure issues such as SPS, are key to supporting industrialization and enhancing intra- regional trade in processed products.
Fortunately in a number of areas we are seeing good practices emerging, which should make it easier for other countries and regions to replicate. As the Commission we do not believe in reinventing the wheel rather we endeavor to build upon that which is operational and effective already. We are also keen toexplore innovative approaches which could enable us to achieve our targets.

Ladies and Gentlemen;

The preparations for the launch of the CFTA negotiations at the June Summit are advanced, with several studies being concluded as requested by the last African Ministers of Trade Meeting held in December last year. We also have key documents, namely the Draft Objectives and Principles Guiding the Negotiation of the CFTA, the draft Terms of Reference for the CFTA Negotiating Forum, the RoadMap and Draft Schedule for the CFTA Negotiations, as well as a draft Declaration and draft Decision, being considered by the AU policy organs in the next eight weeks, culminating in the launch of the CFTA negotations. Much has been said about the indicative date of 2017, this is not the most important issue in my view. What is urgent is for Africa to advance its integration starting with consolidating and implementing existing levels of liberalisation, and to engage in negotiations that will go beyond trade in goods, including trade in services regulatory harmonisation, movement of people, investments, competition and intellectual property rights. This is especially true in view of the mega-trade deals that are being negotiated outside the continent and their impact on setting rules outside of the WTO framework. Further analytical work on the impact of the CFTA is being undertaken in order to make the case more eloquently. Also, the impact of third party agreements should be properly analysed and in our view should be subject to notification within the CFTA process, so that there is greater transparency of undertakings by AU member states.

The institutional capacity building as outlined in the CFTA Architecture is critical for the efficiency and effectiveness of the negotiations and most critically the implementation of the regional agreements which have already been concluded. We are working on the establishment of the African Trade Observatory, African Business Council as well as a Monitoring and Evaluation framework for BIAT and the CFTA- this will strengthen evidence based policy making. Through closer collaboration between the AUC and RECs, the private sector and member states, the engagement of civil society, parliamentarians, and the private sector through innovative means, we foresee a different approach and outcomes for the CFTA. The African Trade Forum which was foreseen to hold annually has been unable to meet due to financial constraints – we need to revive it in 2016 and beyond. An advocacy and communication strategy has been developed to ensure that there is a buy in from all these stakeholders, so that they can play their respective roles in this critical process. The need to enhance the capacity of the AUC has come into the spotlight and we are working with member states and development partners to establish a dedicated CFTA Negotiations support unit and a capacity building programme for the national, regional and continental levels as a priority given the envisaged scope and ambition of the negotiations.

Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

As I conclude my remarks, I have to reiterate that African countries need to display the political commitment to push through with the principles of integration that they have already agreed to. It is recognized that the CFTA provides a strategic route for Africa’s integration into the global economy as a respected partner. Achievements of the CFTA will be an important milestone in the realization of the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community. At the global level, AU member states through the Common African Position on the Post-2015 Development Agenda have reaffirmed the need to implement “continental mechanisms to promote intra-African trade” in the context of the AU’s Agenda 2063 “which presents the vision for the continent’s development”. To this extent, the CFTA is not just about trade liberalization agenda between African countries and regional economic communities. It is an important pillar in the continent’s overall strategy for transformation. Therefore it would be a significant achievement to have all AU member states engaged in the negotiations from the beginning, with their specific concerns being addressed within the negotiations and the ensuing implementation process. We sincerely appreciate the excellent collaboration from institutions such as UNECA, UNCTAD, ITC, tralac, inter alia with the support of a broad range of development partners which make our work feasible.

With these remarks, I once again congratulate tralac for such a wonderful event where we expect fruitful and healthy discussions whose outcome will guide Africa’s integration journey.

I thank you. God bless you.

Dates: 
April 17, 2015
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