Africa: Summit Highlights Fast-Tracking Integration to Achieve AU Aspirations

PUBLISHED ON July 20th, 2016

Africa: Summit Highlights Fast-Tracking Integration to Achieve AU Aspirations

“Our Union is facing emergency issues on a daily basis, these issues require instant and effective mechanisms to address them.”

African Heads of State and Government underscored the need for fast tracking integration to achieve socio-economic growth, peace and security missions as well as to enable the continent fully finance itself.

Opening the 27th AU Summit held at Kigali Convention Center (KCC) Sunday, current Chairperson Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno said : “Our Union is facing emergency issues on a daily basis, these issues require instant and effective mechanisms to address them.” It is on that realization that the AU Summit focused on the “African Year on Human Rights with a particular focus on the Rights of Women,” he said.

President Deby underlined that the alternative sources to finance the activities of the AU , its budget, peace and security on the continent and AUC leadership election were some of the key issues discussed at the Summit.

Commending President Paul Kagame for honoring women, empowering, and placing women at the center of national development, AUC Chairperson Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said :”We used to hear the people saying that behind any successful man, there is a woman. But in Rwanda we can now say women and men stand side by side to achieve success.”

With a view to putting in place a framework, the Commission had undertaken a journey towards adopting Agenda 2063 under her leadership to create a continent that is integrated, peaceful and prosperous, driven by its own citizens and playing a dynamic role in the world, she added.

Heads of State have also called on New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to leverage efforts in the improvement of industrialization and the continent’s electrification programmes through emerging and existing trading blocs.

With special focus on agro-processing industries, information and communication technologies and the increase in human capital development, the Heads of State stressed the need for re-orienting policies into strategies that can help Africa’s economy grow sustainably.

“To make African industrialization a reality in our life time,” the Chairperson said the summit should work hard towards popularizi Agenda 2063 and shaping the African narrative. She said : “We shall not be indifferent, and shall act in the belief that the power of love for our fellow citizens overcomes the love for power.”

NEPAD CEO Assane Mayaki said that from past experience, African leaders should own and lead regional programmes and spend more time in developmental agendas.

“These priorities are all linked to regional integration, because we all know that the optimal solutions to our national problems are not at the national level, but at the regional level, whether it is about trade, education, energy or transport.”

The Heads of State need to be champions of these regional projects that will accelerate the connectivity of this continent, and the East African Community has really embraced strongly that attitude, approach and strategy others should follow suit, he said.

It was learned that the AU launched the long awaited Pan-African Passport aimed at facilitating free movement of people in the continent.

Meanwhile, voting for a new African Union Commission Chairperson was conducted yesterday but it was suspended later as none of the candidates won a two-third majority.

Thus, the Current Chair Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, will continue until a new chairperson is elected in January in Addis Ababa, according to the Rwandan New Times.

Source: All Africa

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