First Joint Annual Meeting of the AU Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and ECA Conferen

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First Joint Annual Meeting of the AU Conference
of Ministers of Economy and Finance and ECA
Conference of African Minister of Finance,
Planning and Economic Development

• Assessment of Progress on Regional Integration in
  Africa
• Joseph Atta-Mensah
• NEPAD and Regional Integration Division

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Outline

• Introduction
• The Union Government
• Recent Major Decisions by the RECs
• Major Activities undertaken by the AUC and the
  ECA on Regional Integration
• Planned Activities on Regional Integration
• Way Forward

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Introduction

• AUC and ECA continue to engage in activities and
  programmes in support of the African Union
  strategic vision of building a united and
  integrated Africa underpinned by political,
  economic, social and cultural integration.
• AUC mandate from the Strategic Vision of the
  Commission, which is rooted in the Constitutive
  Act, Sirte Declaration, the Abuja Treaty and the
  LPA.
• Mandate of ECA since its inception in 1958 and
  strengthened through the repositioning exercise

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The Union Government and the Audit of the Union

• Accra AU Summit set up a Ministerial Committee to
  consider a number of issues related to the Union
  Government
• The then Chairman of the African Union, President
  J. A. Kuffour of Ghana, set up a panel of Eminent
  Persons to undertake an institutional audit of
  the African Union and its organs.
• Both the Ministerial Committee and the Panel
  reported to the Addis Ababa AU Summit, January
  2008.

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Ministerial Committee on the Union Government

• Participation of African People in the Union
  Government African Governments should encourage
  civil society organizations (CSOs), youth and
  women organizations, the private sector, academia
  and the Diaspora and the public to participate in
  the Union Government process
• Popularizing the African Union Member States
  should establish national Commissions on African
  Union Affairs

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Ministerial Committee on the Union Government
(Contd)

• Institutions and the Union Government The AU
  Commission and other institutions should be
  strengthened. In this respect the AU should be
  restructured, empowered and strengthened and
  perform executive functions
• Relationship between Union Government and the
  RECs The RECs should be integrated into the
  governance framework of the African Union so as
  to turn them into instruments and mechanisms for
  the harmonization and implementation of the
  common policies and programmes of the Union.

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Audit Report on the Union Government

• The Assembly should revert to one ordinary
  session per year if necessary, an Extraordinary
  Session can be convened as appropriate
• The Heads of State and Government should, after
  each Summit, endeavour to report on the decisions
  reached at summits to their populace, Assemblies
  and National Commissions for Integration
• A mechanism should be put in place for monitoring
  the implementation of the Assemblys decisions at
  various levels

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Audit Report on the Union Government (Contd)

• The Executive Council should be redesigned into
  Councils of Ministers drawn from respective
  sectors
• The setting up of an ad hoc Committee of Experts,
  comprising representatives of three countries
  selected to host the three financial institutions
  (Cameroon, Libya and Nigeria), AACB, the AU
  Commission, UNECA, AfDB and the RECs to draw up
  the roadmap for the establishment of the three
  institutions.
• The Chairperson should exercise full authority
  within the Commission as the Chief Executive and
  Accounting Officer

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Audit Report on the Union Government (Contd)

• The Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson should be
  men and/or women with known vision and a
  commitment to pan-Africanism and continental
  integration. They must have experience in
  governance. Their election should be unrelated to
  their regions
• The election of the Commissioners should be
  de-linked from the portfolios that they will
  occupy. The responsibility for assigning
  portfolios, monitoring and managing the
  performance of the Commissioners should be
  assumed by the Chairperson in his capacity as
  Chief Executive Officer of the Commission.

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Recent Major Decision of the RECs

• ECOWAS
• In January 2008, ECOWAS held its Summit in
  Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Among the Decisions
  taken were
• Committed to strengthening their programmes on
  Growth, poverty and macroeconomic convergence
• Re-affirm a common position on the EPAs
• Transform the zone into a customs union at the
  end of 2008
• Strengthen Infrastructure in the zone

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Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Contd)

• COMESA
• In May 2007, COMESA held its Summit in Nairobi,
  Kenya. Among the Decisions taken were
• Adoption of the CET for the Customs Union to be
  launched at the end of 2008
• Called member States who have yet ratified the
  COMESA Fund to do so in order to benefit from the
  regional development fund
• Commended the progress made by Joint Taskforce of
  COMESA, SADC and EAC to harmonize and coordinate
  common programmes
• Strengthen Infrastructure in the zone

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Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Contd)

• EAC
• In August 2007, EAC held an extra-ordinary Summit
  in Arusha, Tanzania. Among the Decisions taken
  were
• Endorsed the tripartite cooperation between EAC,
  COMESA and SADC in the harmonizing polices and
  programmes of the three institutions
• Called on member States to move expeditiously
  towards the establishment of a Common Market and
  a Monetary Union by 2012.
• Urged the Republic of Rwanda and the Republic of
  Burundi to speed up the process of integrating
  fully into the EAC Customs Union.

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Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Contd)

• SADC
• In August 2007, SADC held its Summit in Lusaka,
  Zambia. Among the Decisions taken were
• Agreed that the SADC FTA be implemented in 2008
• Called on SADC Secretariat to draw up a regional
  Master Plan for Infrastructure Development.
• Noted progress made toward achieving the set
  target of 50 women representation in
  decision-making.

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Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Contd)

• CENSAD
• In June 2007, SADC held its Summit in Sirte,
  Libya. Among the Decisions taken were
• Guinea and Comoros joined, bringing the total to
  25 countries
• Re-affirmed their commitment strengthen the
  integration agenda of the continent.

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Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Contd)

• AMU
• The Arab Maghreb Union is pursuing programmes
  and activities aimed at strengthening integration
  among its five member States
• The leadership has adopted a development strategy
  which would be implemented in four stages the
  creation of a free exchange zone, a customs
  union, a common market and an economic union .

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Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Contd)

• ECCAS
• In October 2007, ECCAS held its Summit in
  Brazzaville, Congo. Among the Decisions taken
  were
• Urged member States to work on the
  harmonization of the CEMAC common external
  tariff, with a view to achieving a customs union
  in 2008
• Called on the President of CEMAC Commission and
  General Secretary of ECCAS Secretariat to form a
  Committee, made up of AUC, ECA and AfDB, to
  develop a framework for the harmonization of the
  programmes and activities of CEMAC and ECCAS and
  the eventual integration of the two institutions.

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Major Activities of AUC and ECA

• AUC
• Second Conference of African Ministers in Charge
  of Integration in Kigali in July 2007.
• ECA
• Fifth Session of the Committee on Trade, Regional
  Cooperation and Integration (CTRCI) at the
  headquarters of the Economic Commission for
  Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 8 to
  10 October 2007

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ECAs Planned Activities

• ARIA IV
• Observatory on Regional Integration in Africa
• Technical Assistance on Capacity Building and
  Cooperation
• Infrastructure and Natural Resources Initiatives.

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Issues for Consideration

• Support for the publication of the report on
  Assessing Regional Integration in Africa
• Support to AUC and ECA to carry out programmes
  and activities to support the African Union
  debate on the framework for Union Government for
  Africa
• Support the mainstreaming of regional
  integration in national policies

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Issues for Consideration (Contd)

• Support for AUC and ECA in their assistance to
  the regional economic communities as they
  transform into either Free Trade Areas or Customs
  Union or Common Markets
• Support AUC and ECAs programmes and activities
  on infrastructure and natural resources

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• Many thanks for your Attention