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Press Briefing of the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy of the AU

Press Briefing of the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy of the AU

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May 20, 2013

Press release Nº17 /21st AU Summit

CONNECTING, INTEGRATING AND TRANSFORMING AFRICA

Addis Ababa, 22 May, 2013 – On 25th May 1963 when leaders of the independent states of Africa signed the Charter establishing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), they were driven by a political agenda to rid the continent of colonial domination. They also had in mind to establish the conditions for an integrated Africa through its telecommunication, road and energy infrastructure; the aim of this integration being self-reliance. Fifty years later, at the time when the Golden Jubilee of the OAU and of the African Union (AU) is being celebrated under the theme of “Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance”, where does Africa stands in terms of infrastructure development?

Dr Elham Ibrahim, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy indicated at a press conference held on 20 May 2013 that a lot has already been done but a lot more still needs to be done for Africa to benefit from its abundant resources. Viable and affordable infrastructure for Africa would facilitate intra-African trade, (so far it represents only 12%), enhance mobility, and as a whole support the process of integration. Africa loses 2% of its GDP yearly because of poor infrastructure development.

To fill that gap the AU has come up the strategic Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) for a total cost of 360 billion USD. PIDA is meant to meet priorities with regard to transport, ITC, and trans-boundary water for the period 2012 up to 2040. Progress has been made at the regional and continental levels with projects being already implemented. At a political level, PIDA is high on the radar of African leaders. For instance, continental road corridors built under that chapter are championed by Presidents.

In order to keep momentum on the importance of infrastructure, raise awareness, share information and best practices among AU Member States, on 25 May 2013, the AU and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) will launch the virtual PIDA Information Center. Since PIDA was launched in 2010, investment has increased in this sector. “The future is promising for the development of infrastructure in Africa,” concluded Commissioner Ibrahim.

The press briefing was live streamed. With about 500 journalists expected to be in Addis Ababa to cover the summit, daily press conferences will be organised and live streamed.

For more information, please visit the African Union website at www.au.int and follow us on twitter (@_AfricanUnion) and Facebook.

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