Events
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October 18, 2013Meeting on the draft Strategic Plan 2014-2018 of the African Union Institute for StatisticsMeeting on the draft Strategic Plan 2014-2018 of the African Union Institute for Statistics
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September 18, 2013 to September 20, 2013Brainstorming on the Future of the Africa-EU Partnership Meeting, Brussels, Belgium -
July 18, 2013 to July 19, 2013
Ministers Discuss Policies and Their Implementations towards the Development of the Great Lakes Region
Friday 19 July, 2013- The Meeting on Regional Approaches to Development in the Great Lakes Region ended today, Friday 19 July 2013 with the unanimous agreement that Peace and Security in the region must go hand in hand with Development programs.
The meeting was co-organized by the African Union Commission (AUC), the World Bank and the United Nations. It was attended by Ministers of Finance and Economic Planning and Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Countries of the Great Lakes Region, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Partner Countries, International Organizations and Civil Society Organizations.
Beginning with statements by the co-organizers of the conference, H.E. Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson, AUC opened the session by reiterating its objectives and reminding all of the issues faced by the region. He said “We meet here today to exchange ideas, define aspirations and priorities, and policies and programmes to catalyze the development of a region that has had a share of both pain and suffering arising from a prolonged conflict that has gone on for two decades.” Before concluding, he commended the work of RECs in the region for helping to lower barriers on trade and other areas, while also assuring the delegation that AU Commission is partnering to strengthen regional integration.
Mr. Modipo Toure, Assistant Secretary General -UN gave his opening statement, delivering a message of Mrs. Mary Robinson, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Great Lakes Region. She expressed her optimism, saying that this time it will be possible for peace and development to play a mutually reinforcing role in the region thanks to the leaders of the AUC, UN and World Bank. She also urged partners to engage in more strategic funding as in the past, considerable resources had been invested in the region without producing any visible impact on its population.
The final opening statement by Mr. Colin Bruce, Director of Strategy and Operations, Africa Region World Bank concisely reaffirmed the commitment of the World Bank stating that they fully embraced the Peace, Security and Development framework that had been established and hoped that the conference would focus on the efficient implementation of policies established for the region. After stressing the importance of the outcome of the conference to the region as well as the World Bank, he finalized by stating his hopes that all parties involved in this development are here for the long haul just as the World Bank is.
Several sessions followed including presentations on ‘Promoting Long Term Stability in the Great Lakes Region’ as well as an Open floor discussion chaired by Mr. Colin Bruce. The report of the Senior Official’s meeting held on the previous day, 18 July 2013 was also presented, discussed and adopted. This was followed by the expected adoption of the Communiqué on the Ministerial meeting. Future steps and key outcomes were also discussed and adopted
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June 21, 2013
MEDIA ADVISORY
Symposium on the role of education in African renaissance, and in achieving the Africa we want in 2063.
INVITATION TO MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES
When: Friday 21 June 2013, from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Where: AUC Premise, Old Conference Building, Plenary Hall
Who: Department of Human Resources Science and Technology of the African Union Commission (AUC).
Three eminent speakers are expected to do presentation on the theme of the symposium and provoke debate in order to contribute to the understanding of the Education Challenge in Africa and to inform the programming towards 2063. They are:- Professor Rosalie Kama Niamayoua,Former Minister of Education, Republic of Congo
- Ms Eskadar Nega, Programme Officer in the Development Information Services Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
- Professor Otiato Wafula, Department of Sociology, Kenyatta UniversityWhy: The meeting is of significance to the media as it is part of the promotion of Theme of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the OAU-AU for the month of June 2013: “Education and Human Resources”.
Context: The Symposium is organized with the support of the Department of Economic Affairs, within the framework of the traditional “Fridays of the Commission”
Participants AUC Staff, Embassies in Addis Ababa, Universities, AU Regional offices (through VSAT), online participation, live streaming participation
Media enquiries and requests for interviews should be directed to Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou, Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission, E mail address: yamboue@africa-union.org , Tel: +251 361185
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May 10, 2013
AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION ORGANIZES A DEBATE ON THE PANAFRICANISM AND THE AFRICAN INTEGRATION
Addis Ababa, 10th May 2013- A group of African scholars, experts, researchers and students discussed Pan Africanism and African Integration in a debate dubbed "Friday of the Commission", which held its first session in 2013, on Friday 10th May 2013, at the African Union's Plenary Hall Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Organized by the Economic Affairs Department in cooperation with Communications and Information Directorate, the discussion was held under the theme "PANAFRICANISM AT THE SERVICE OF AFRICAN INTEGRATION: A MYTH OR REALITY?” It was inspired by the continental celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU, and aimed to answer a number of questions on Pan-Africanism and African integration, i.e. whether Pan-Africansim as a philosophy or school of thought has been understood and implemented by African leaders, and if Pan-Africanism can still serve as a source of inspiration for decision makers of the continent today.
Chairing the conference-debate, Dr. René N'guettia Kouassi, Director of Economic Affairs of the AUC noted that this edition of Friday of the Commission is being held at a time when Africa is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of formation of the Organization of the African Unity.
Professor Francoise Ndengwe, Chairman of African Advisory Board, highlighted in his presentation entitled “Are we serious about pan-africanism today? An economic policy viewpoint”, the main achievements with regards African integration economically starting from Abuja treaty in 1991. He expressed the importance of establishing and developing international institutions such as the African Central Bank, African Monetary Fund, and African Investment Fund which give Africa a voice on the global platform. He further emphasised on the need for trust between the African countries as a basis for regional integration.
Professor Daryl Monroe Poe, a specialist of Pan-Africanism explained in his presentation on Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s take on Pan-Africanism and his vision for a continental union. He further explained the immediate challenges Africa faces. He called for the creation of a Pan-African personality, nationalism, and economics among Africans.
Friday of the Commission is a trimestrial event, which serves as a forum of debates on issues related to the socio-economic, political and cultural development of the African continent.
Participants at the debate include: staff of the AU Commission, African and non-African diplomats, members of the Permanent Representatives Committee, staff of international institutions in Addis Ababa, academics and university students.
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April 15, 2013 to April 19, 2013
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March 28, 2013 to March 29, 2013The African Union Commission and Regional Economic Communities Retreat
The African Union Commission and Regional Economic Communities Retreat, held At Izulu Hotel, Ethekwini, South Africa On 28-29 March 2013
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March 20, 2013 to March 24, 2013
JOINT PRESS RELEASE N.08
Abidjan, 26th March 2013
Africa’s structural transformation via commodity-based industrialization gets nod from Ministers
Abidjan, 26 March 2013—The Sixth Joint Annual Meetings of ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and AU Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance ended with a unanimous call to pursue commodity based-industrialization as an impetus to Africa’s aspirations for structural transformation.
In a Ministerial statement issued at the end of the meeting, the Ministers said; “Industrialization has become an imperative for Africa’s development and its careful pursuit cannot be postponed any longer.” The Ministers stressed the imperative of industrialization in order to create much needed jobs for Africa’s youth and to generate the knowledge and skills base to manage a rapid process of urbanization and to reap the potentials of a demographic dividend. To translate growth into an all-encompassing structural transformation will require clarity of vision, effective coordination of actions and an unwavering focus on effective and coordinated actions to adopt and implement a coherent industrialization policy. The Ministers underscored the need to developed infrastructure and provide energy, as major drivers of a successful programme of industrialization.
The 2013 Economic Report on Africa, which was launched here Monday, advances the case for commodity based industrialization as both feasible and beneficial.
The Ministers expressed concern with the slow advances in achieving the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs). Looking ahead to the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the ministers underemphasized the importance of context, self-effort, ownership, resource availability and other enables to the prospects for more robust outcomes in the achievement of set target. “(We) request the institutions (ECA, AUC, and African Development Bank (AfDB) to ensure that the African priorities are effectively reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals,” the statement said.
To enhance Africa’s competitive advantages, the Ministers called for immediate measures to capitalize on its demographic dividend through sustained investments in health and education, particularly for women, the girl-child, and the youth. “These investments should be further enhanced by the adoption of appropriate social, urban planning, and macroeconomic policies,” the read the Ministerial statement.On the Follow-up-to Rio +20, the joint ministers meeting urged the integration of Rio+20 outcomes into national development policies, strategies and plans.
The Ministers called on the United Nations Secretary-General “to provide required support to ECA to enhance its work in accordance with Africa’s priorities.” ECA is restructuring its programming to align and strategically serve the African transformation agenda. In the new strategic orientation ECA will place statistics for evidence-based policy making and effective planning at the core of generation of research, policy, knowledge and consensus.About global partnerships and effective development cooperation, the ministers proposed the creation of an African consultative reference group to consult regularly on the Global Partnership.
Meanwhile, ECA Executive Secretary Carlos Lopes and AUC Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in their joint closing remarks welcomed the ministers’ decision to give impetus to Africa’s aspirations for structural transformation.
“Another key message emanating from this meeting is that Africa must tell its own story and should take control of the narrative. Thus, while not disregarding the positive gloss put on its current growth performance, this continent should lead the discussions relating to its future prospects by undertaking its own analysis and generating robust statistics to back its case,” they said.
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March 06, 2013 to March 08, 2013
3rd CONGRESS OF AFRICAN ECONOMISTS 2013 THEME:“Industrialisation and Economic emergence in Africa”
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December 01, 2012
Directors Generals of National Statistics Converge In Yamoussoukro To Discuss Post-2015 Development Agenda
Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire 1st December 2012 - Following the adoption of the African Charter on Statistics in January 2009 by the African Union Summit and its quest to address the challenges and improve the statistical capacity of African countries, the Department of Economic Affairs of the AU Commission has enjoined the Committee of Directors Generals of National Statistics Office (CoDGs) from 30th November to 1st December 2012, to exchange views on the way forward with respect to the Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA) adopted in July 2010, during the AU Summit in Kampala, Uganda. SHaSA provide guidance on harmonization of statistics on the continent in support the African integration agenda and enhance coordination and collaboration with National Statistical Offices (NSOs), regional and continental statistical organizations as well as development partners.
Organized by the AU Commission in collaboration with ECA and AfDB the meeting of the CoDGs brainstormed the SHaSA sectoral strategies to scale up the availability of reliable and timely data for tracking MDGs; African integration agenda and future development agenda progresses. The meeting was opened by Dr. Rene Kouassi Nguetia, Director for Economic Affairs of the AUC.
Holding under the theme: “Contribution of the African statisticians to the formulation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda a ‘‘Decade 2015-2025 of Africa Transformation”, the objectives of the CoDGs is to discuss how the African statistical system will contribute to the articulation of the post 2015 development agenda and to review the implementation of the SHaSA and the Charter.
Addressing the press at the end of the meeting, Dr. Kouassi stressed on the outcomes of the meeting of CoDGs saying it will help improve the production of timely and reliable data at national level to monitor and evaluate progress towards MDGs at national and continental levels; narrow the discrepancy of data between national and international sources; contribute to the articulation of the post 2015 development agenda and discuss the role the statistics should play; and improve the production of quality trade statistics to inform the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) ; among others.
.For further information, please visit AU website: www.au.int
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November 05, 2012 to November 08, 2012
Fifth African Private Sector Forum
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September 28, 2012
The Department of Economic Affairs aims to support the strengthening of human resource capacities of Member States, RECs and the AUC with regards to the management of Africa’s integration agenda. In this regard, the Department, the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (UN-IDEP) and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), have developed a training programme on ‘Regional Integration in Africa‘, which is conducted annually in two language sessions, English and French. The training programme is financed by BADEA, and hosted by IDEP in Dakar, Senegal, and will take place according to the following periods:
- English session: 19 November – 30 November 2012
- French session: 03 – 14 décembre 2012The Department wishes to invite integration focal points in Member States, staff of the RECs and the AUC to participate in the programme which aims to enhance the knowledge, skills, and capacity of Experts with regard to the design and management of policies and programmes concerned with deepening and accelerating regional cooperation and integration in Africa as well as promote efficient and results-oriented governance of integration institutions and processes. Details of the course can be found in the accompanying announcement and call for nominations.
All nominations to attend the training sessions should be sent by the deadline of 19 October, 2012 to IDEP. The accompanying application form should be completed and returned to IDEP, copying the Department. The focal points to address the applications are the following:
Focal Points - IDEP and AU Department of Economic Affairs:
• Mr. Tharcisse Ntilivamunda, Training Division/Division Formation - Tharcisse@unidep.org
• Ahmed Ba, Division/Division Formation – ah.ba@unidep.org
• Ms. Victoria Egbetayo, Policy Officer, Economic Affairs – egbetayov@africa-union.org
• Ms. Kokobe George, Secretary to the Director of Economic Affairs - kokobeg@africa-union.org