SALUTATIONS

• Your Excellency Mr. Neal RIJKENBERG, Minister of Finance, Kingdom of the Eswatini and chairperson of our STC
• Your Excellencies Ministers present here
• Your Excellency Dr. Hanan Morsy, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNECA
• Representatives of Regional Economic Communities
• Distinguished Participants, ladies and Gentlemen

It is my great honor to welcome you to this important occasion: the Launch of the 2025 African Integration Report. This is not just another publication, it is a compass for Africa’s collective journey towards deeper unity, prosperity, and resilience via the route of integration.

This year’s Report, prepared under the coordination of the African Union Commission with the invaluable contributions of our Regional Economic Communities, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and the African Development Bank, is a call to action. It highlights both the remarkable strides we have made, and the pressing gaps that continue to hold us back from achieving the aspirations of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. At this juncture therefore, allow me to thank all of you that actively took part in the development and production of this report, including our partners GIZ of Germany through the EU-TAF Program.

Your Excellencies, distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen,

It therefore gives me great pleasure to address you today at this launch, under the theme: “Strengthening the Implementation of Regional Frameworks to Fully Leverage Continental Achievements.” This theme is not accidental. It speaks to the very heart of Africa’s integration journey: our continent has built a rich body of frameworks, both at the regional and continental levels, such as the Agenda 2063, the AfCFTA, PIDA, the Abuja Treaty, and many more. We have made great achievements. But unless these frameworks are fully implemented, our gains will remain partial, fragile, and uneven.

Your Excellencies,

We, however, should be proud of the progress recorded. The African Continental Free Trade Area has given us the most ambitious trade arrangement on the continent’s history. The Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa is linking our regions in ways unthinkable just a decade ago. Our peace and governance instruments have created stronger platforms for stability. These represent real continental achievements.

Yet, this Report reminds us that too often, our implementation lags our ambition. Intra-African trade still stands at under 16%-18%. Protocols on free movement remain under-ratified. Industrialization and value addition are still in their infancy. And most of our regional integration programs remain underfunded and too dependent on external funding to deliver on their objectives. We still experience fragile peace in some of our regions.

This is why the theme of this Report is so urgent. Implementation is the bridge between aspiration and reality. Without implementation, regional frameworks remain promises on paper. With implementation, they can become the engine of transformation for Africa’s citizens. Let us continue to be reminded that Integration is both political and technical. Political will creates momentum, and technical execution ensures delivery. The theme of this Report therefore reminds us that only by marrying these two dimensions can Africa fully leverage the achievements we have already made.

Your Excellencies, distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen,

I have gone through this Report and its recommendations. I am convinced that the recommendations of this Report provide us with a clear roadmap:

• Strengthen governance and peace as the foundations of integration. Without stability, all else is undermined.
• Accelerate the AfCFTA, with a focus on reducing non-tariff barriers, harmonizing regulations, and empowering SMEs and women-led businesses to participate in regional value chains.
• Invest in shared infrastructure: in transport, energy, water, and digital connectivity, because no single country can integrate in isolation.
• Prioritize industrialization and value addition, to reduce our dependency on raw commodities and build resilient African supply chains.
• Place people at the center of integration, by advancing free movement, harmonizing education, promoting innovation, and ensuring inclusivity for women and youth .

Excellencies,

To strengthen implementation, we must all play our part.  Member States must accelerate domestication and align national plans with regional frameworks. RECs must coordinate more closely to avoid duplication and fragmentation. The private sector must take advantage of regional markets, building cross-border value chains. Civil society, academia, and the media must ensure transparency and accountability. And our partners must support us in a way that enhances African ownership of this agenda.

Excellencies, dear Colleagues,

The Africa we want, integrated, prosperous, and peaceful, is not beyond our reach. But the difference between aspiration and achievement lies in a single word: implementation.

Let us, therefore, commit ourselves to making this Report a living guide, not a document for archives. Let us use it to strengthen regional frameworks and ensure that every continental achievement is translated into real benefits for our people.

In 1963, our founding fathers chose unity. In 2025, we must choose implementation. Together, let us strengthen our regional frameworks, fully leverage our continental achievements, and build the Africa we want.

Thank you.