Events

PRESS RELEASE Nº 292/2014
Pan-African Investment Code :African Independent Legal Experts kicks off in Djibouti
Addis Ababa, 30th October 2014: Idependent Legal Experts are meeting from today, 30-31 October 2014 in Kempinski Djibouti. The meeting is bringing onboard more than thirty five African independent legal experts to discuss and review the draft Pan African Investment Code (PAIC).
In his welcoming statement, Mr.Djamel Ghrib Head of Private Sector Delopment, Investment and Resource Mobilisation thanked participants for honouring the invitation. He stated that this was testimony to the commitment they attach to the attraction and promotion ofinvestment in Africa. He highlighted the importance accorded to attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and its impact on Africa’s Development. He said that the Continent remains concerned about the low level of incoming FDI flowing compared to other regions of the worldas well as the intra Africa cross border investment. This situation continues to persist despite the measures taken by Member States to improve the investment environment, including investment guarantees.
He informed the meeting that the objective of the meeting was to review the draft Pan African Investment Code (PAIC) and recalled the mandate given to the AUC, during the third Conference of African Ministers in charge of Integration (COMAI III) held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on 22-23 May 2008, requesting the “AUC to develop a comprehensive investment code for Africa with a view to promoting private sector participation”.

He recalled the background of developing the PAIC and highlighted the guiding principles in drafting the PAIC: (i) suit the national policies in order to scale up and maintain the Domestic Investment; (ii) create conducive business environment for sustainable growth; (iii) promote African integration process; (iv) ensure that the PAIC tackles the issue of Social Corporate and Environmental responsibility; and (v) attract FDI as one of the vehicles to sustain the development.
Finally, he invited the legal experts to contribute to the improvement of the draft code, which will be submitted to the special Ministerial Technical Committee on Economy, Finance and integration matters as well as the STC on Justice and Legal Affairs for consideration and adoption before its submission to the AU Heads of State and Government for its final adoption
For further information contact:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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KEY AFRICAN MINISTERS MEETING IS HELD TO CHART THE WAY FROWARD ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND INTEGRATION

Ezulwini, Swaziland 17 July 2014- African ministers in charge of integration are meeting in Ezulwini, Swaziland from 17 to 18th July under the theme, infrastructure and integration in Africa. They were joined at their opening session today by the Right Honourable Dr Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Swaziland; African Union Commission Chairperson DrNkosazanaDlaminiZuma; Prince HlangusemphiDlamini, the Swazi Minister of Economic Planning; and AU Commissioners DrsElham Ibrahim and Anthony Maruping.

The ministers are discussing the theme of infrastructure and integration in Africa. At the end of their meeting tomorrow, they will adopt a ministerial declaration,highlighting among others, strategies and actions to speed up infrastructure development to support regional integration.

Integration is one of the key goals under the vision of the African Union and remains at the core of the pan African vision. It forms one of the key pillars of the African Union Commission (AUC)’s strategic plan 2014-2017. It is also one of the key enablers of Agenda 2063 , which seeks to bring together into one framework, Africa’s continental, regional and national plans.

Infrastructure on the other hand is seen as a facilitator of integration; as the hardware without which economic and social development on the continent will remain low. Compared to other continents in terms of measures of infrastructure coverage, Africa is lagging behind and this affects the integration efforts. To ameliorate the situation, the African Union has adopted, among others, the programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).

“At regional and continental levels, through the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa and the infrastructure master-plans of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), we seek to connect African capitals and commercial centres through road, rail and ICT, to power our economies and communities through energy projects, including renewable and fossil fuel energy, and to increase agricultural production through irrigation projects, building storage facilities, distribution infrastructure and markets”, said African Union Commission Chairperson DrNkosazanaDlaminiZumaat the start of the ministerial meeting in Ezulwini today.
The AU Commission is also in negotiations with interested parties, to construct a high speed railway, which will be the flagship of Agenda 2063. Dr Dlamini Zuma announced that concrete agreements have been reached with the Chinesegovernment to set up a research and development center as well as a training center to ensure successful set up of the high speed railway system. Other partners are welcome to contribute to the project, she added.
The AUC Chairperson called on Africa to finance its own development projects and programmes, saying “One of the bitter lessons from the last fifty years is that we cannot continue to develop visions and frameworks, and then expect others to take responsibility for financing our development and institutions”.

The Chairperson called on Africa to be inclusive in its development policies. “Our development will continue to be at half pace if we do not empower women to play an important part in the socio, political and economic affairs of our societies”. She also called for a skills revolution to ensure African people, especially the youth, are capacitated to undertake the different jobs that will drive the continent forward.

Right Honourable Dr Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Swaziland praised Agenda 2063 as representing a collective effort and an opportunity for Africa to regain the power to determine its own destiny. “The voice of Africa is therefore certain as we drive to the Africa we want”, he said. He highlighted the need to invest in trade related infrastructure such as transport, communication and energy sectors.To further aid integration efforts, a continental free trade area (CFTA) is expected to be launched in 2017.
Delegates to the meeting were reminded to continue makingwritten inputs into Agenda 2063 through the websitehttp://agenda2063.au.int before 31 October 2014. In January next year, the framework and its first ten year plan will be adopted.
The declaration to be adopted by the ministers at the end of their meeting will therefore underscore their determination to speed up the integration agenda in conformity with the pertinent decisions of African Heads of State and Government and the aspirations of African people. This includes support for PIDA to build the infrastructure necessary to support integration.

The ministers will make recommendations on the way forward on each of the following topics that are key to infrastructure and integration in Africa: status of integration in Africa and follow up of recommendations from the Sixth Conference of African Ministers in Charge of Integration (COMAIV1); study on the African integration fund; African regional integration index; and on intra African trade and the establishment of the continental free trade area (CFTA). They are also expected to pronounce themselves on the way forward with popularizing and implementing thecommon African position (CAP) on post 2015 development agenda and on Agenda 2063. (The full declaration will be available soon on the AU website, www.au.int)

For media inquiries contact:
Mrs. Wynne Musabayana, Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission, e-mail: MusabayanaW@africa-union.org

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Press Release Nº 139/2014

Experts meet to discuss Regional and National Statistical Capacities for Measuring Peace, Rule of Law and Governance in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, 11 June 2014: An expert meeting started today at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to discuss Regional and National Statistical Capacities for Measuring Peace, Rule of Law and Governance: An agenda for the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals Frame work.
The meeting is a follow-up to the Global Thematic Consultation on Conflict, Violence and Disaster, and the Post-2015 Development Framework; organized to bring together policy makers and data specialists, mostly from Africa, to map up various on-going national, regional and international statistical initiatives, frameworks and strategies on Peace, rule of law and Governance; and to build on that experience to advance compelling evidence for incorporating these as target and indicators in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Framework.
Ms. Samia Zekaria Gutu, Director of the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia, welcomed the delegates from some 20 countries said this meeting is a milestone for the statistical development in Africa and is the time to develop concrete methodologies to advance forward. Following her welcoming remarks Mr. Gerd Trogemann, the Deputy Director of UNDP regional Sector for Africa recalled the need for Peace and Stability as priority for the development of Africa and said the meeting will confirm the National level commitment. “Peace and Development are strongly linked.”
Director of Economic Affairs, Dr René N'guettia Kouassi shared the importance of ‘the trilogy’ of the core priority lists of the African Union Commission; Governance, Peace and Security, and shared the reasons and expectation behind the meeting. Determining the way forward; sharing prospects, experience, expertise and making recommendations relevant to be shared with the international community stressing on the importance of Statistics in Peace, Rule of Law and Governance has been said to have been priorities of the meeting.
Participants include Data experts from the African Union Commission, African Development Bank, SHaSA, African Regional Economic Commissions (Such as: ECOWAS, COMESA, SADC, EAC, ECCAS, CEN-SAD, IGAD) United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, World Bank, Experts from Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st century, Academic and Research centers, Pan-African Parliament, Civil society and Policy makers of Countries involved in the drafting of the peace and security pillar of the African Common Position along with relevant UN agencies.

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dinfo@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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PRESS RELEASE N.97/2014

Opening session of the Regional Seminar on International Trade Statistics

Addis Ababa, 12 May 2014: The opening session of the Regional Seminar on International Trade Statistics, jointly organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) was held this morning at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa.

The seminar which takes place from the 12 to 16 May 2014, will bring together national experts responsible for compilation of international Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS), statistics of international trade in goods and services, and balance of payments (BOP). The meeting will also gather major stakeholders of statistical development in Africa including the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), World Customs Organization (WCO), World Trade Organization (WTO), United Nations Statistics Division, national statistical offices and national customs offices.

In his opening statement on behalf the Director of Economic Affairs and Statistics Division Dr. N’GuettiaKouassi,Mr. Dossina Yeo pointed out that the volume of intra-African trade was estimated at 12%, and in order to boost intra-African trade, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union dedicated their two summits of 2012 to the theme "Boosting Intra -African Trade."

He then explained that the major decisions of these two summits were the establishment of an African Observatory on trade in order to monitor and evaluate the implementation of an area of hemispheric free trade, and the establishment of a Free Continental trade area by 2017. He finally underlined the necessity of encouraging the production of quality statistics on international trade in Africa in order to implement the African Observatory on Trade.

Other speakers at the opening session were Mr. Karoly Kovacs from the (UNSD), andMr. SlaheddineSaidi (AfDB)

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For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dinfo@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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