El Alamein:Angolan President Joo Louren§o emphasized the increasing importance of Africa's integration in enhancing the continent's resilience in a complex international environment during a meeting in Egypt.
According to Angola Press News Agency, President Louren§o presented the Report on the Contributions of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) to Deepening Regional Integration. This presentation took place during the 8th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting between the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, and Regional Mechanisms.
In his role as Chairperson of the AUDA-NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee, Louren§o underscored the necessity of interconnected economies, expanded intra-African trade, regional infrastructure development, domestic financial resource mobilization, and enhanced productive capacities for Africa's autonomy in shaping its future. He highlighted the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area to create a market for approximately 1.4 billion people, predicting a 52% increase in intra-African trade by 2035.
Louren§o further elaborated that the benefits of an African single market rely on cross-border connectivity through roads and railways, access to affordable energy, digital connectivity, harmonized standards, and regional value chains. He noted progress in infrastructure development, particularly through the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), with achievements in transport, energy, and digitalization sectors.
Specific advancements include harmonizing procedures along the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor, the operationalization of the Kenya-Tanzania power interconnection, the commissioning of a transmission line between Mozambique and Malawi, and pre-feasibility studies for an Angola-Democratic Republic of the Congo power interconnection.
Louren§o also mentioned the expansion of the One-Stop Border Post model and the positive financial assessment of over 50 regional ICT infrastructure projects. He recognized the existing gap between the adoption and implementation of decisions by African nations and reiterated Angola's commitment to strengthening AUDA-NEPAD during his chairmanship.
The President praised AUDA-NEPAD Executive Director Nardos Bekele-Thomas and her team for their efforts in translating continental priorities into tangible programs. The meeting occurs amidst a challenging context for Africa, characterized by development financing pressures, geopolitical competition, and external economic shocks impacting trade, energy, food security, and public finances.
AUDA-NEPAD, as the principal continental instrument for implementing Agenda 2063's development and integration priorities, aims to accelerate Africa's sustainable development and support transformative projects. The Summit serves as a platform for enhancing cooperation, information exchange, and response capacity among the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, and Regional Mechanisms.
