African foreign ministers have called for joint efforts to strengthen the continent's global position, deepen continental integration and promote mutual cooperation during the African Union (AU) Executive Council meeting held on February 15 and 16.
Addressing the council, AU Commission Chairman Mussa Faki Mahamat praised the results so far, saying that the continent is moving forward, but there is still a long way ahead. He also expressed concern over increasing peace and security threats that constitute major development challenges for Africa.
As the 36th session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) is about to start at the headquarters of the organization in Addis Ababa, Sputnik outlines some of the main topics and possible issues which will be on the agenda of the upcoming meeting.
Pushing Continental Free Trade Zone
It is expected that the major topic of the summit will be the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a regional initiative aimed at boosting intra-African trade. The AU's theme of 2023 will be "The Year of AfCFTA: Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation."
The main idea of the AfCFTA is to create a single continental market with a population of approximately 1.3 billion people and a combined GDP of about $3.4 trillion. The AfCFTA is dubbed the largest free trade agreement in the world in terms of population that gathers all African states, except for Eritrea.
The initiative sets an ambitious goal of increasing intra-Africa trade by 60% by 2034 mainly by progressively lowering and dismantling almost all tariff barriers on mutual trade. As of 2021, regional trade accounted for about 15% of the overall trade of African countries, while, for comparison, 68% of all European countries' exports were to trading partners on the same continent. In Asia, this rate was 59%.
According to the AU, if fully implemented, the AfCFTA is expected to lift 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty and raise incomes in the region by 7% or $450 billion by 2035. The practical implementation of the area has the potential to foster industrialization, job creation, and investment, and therefore enhance the continent's competitiveness.
The African leaders are expected to address the main challenges and obstacles which have occurred in the construction of the trade bloc so far, including disagreements over tariff reductions and border closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization declared regional economic integration as the theme of the year in order to improve collaboration with all relevant bodies and specialized agencies of the AU and fast-track the implementation of the AfCFTA.
During the meeting, leaders will adopt a series of documents aimed at accelerating full implementation of the free trade area, including protocols on competition policy, intellectual property rights and investment to the agreement establishing the AfCFTA.
Growing Insecurity & Need for Joint Efforts
Another major subject expected to be touched upon is a state of peace and security on the continent, as well as the implementation of practical steps to "silence the guns in Africa."
This year's summit comes amid increasing security threats with ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, intensified terrorist activities in the Sahel region, Somalia and Mozambique, as well as persisting instability in many more states.
The discussions during the meeting will focus on ways to ease tensions in different parts of the continent mainly in the African Great Lakes region, review the situation in the Central African Republic, and the possibility of intensifying the deadlocked inter-Libyan negotiations, as well as security in other countries. They will also touch upon the situation in and around Ukraine, which, according to some states, hinders the economic development of Africa.
In particular, the political situation in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, the countries that have recently witnessed military coups, will be one of many issues that will be raised as they are seeking to rejoin the AU.
Even though the activities of these states in the African Union have been suspended in the past few years, the foreign ministers of these countries attended ministerial meetings in Addis Ababa.
"Our countries are committed to restoring constitutional order. Lifting the suspension of Mali's membership in the African Union would contribute to the current efforts in our country, and that is why we are here today and started collective negotiations with the Peace and Security Council," said Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop.
During the meeting, Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen, for his part, underlined the crucial role that the regional organization is playing in terms of ensuring peace and security on the continent. He stated that joint efforts are needed to address the remaining challenges in conflict resolution, saying that "Africans should lead their endeavor to silence the guns in Africa."
Another important subject of discussion is expected to be the worsening food security in several regions of the continent, which is mainly attributed to the armed conflicts and extreme weather conditions caused by the effects of climate change. In particular, Somalia is on the brink of famine following five failed rainy seasons, with thousands of people facing serious food shortages.
During the organization's 36th session, the Union of the Comoros' President Azali Assoumani will assume the presidency of the AU in 2023, taking over from current chair Senegalese President Macky Sall. According to media reports, as of now, at least 35 presidents and four prime ministers of African states will attend the summit.