Integration a High Stakes Game Requiring Urgent Decisions

4 March 2002
Content from a Premium Partner
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Addis Ababa)
press release

Addis Ababa — ECA Press Release No. 05/2002

For Immediate Release

The alignment of a number of political initiatives has made regional integration a high stakes game, making it all the more incumbent on Africa's leaders to take urgent key decisions in the coming months.

Speaking at the opening of the Third African Development Forum earlier today to an audience of 1,000 delegates, ECA Executive Secretary K.Y. Amoako identified these initiatives as the New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the African Union (AU) and new trade initiatives from Europe, America and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Mr. Amoako cautioned that although the opportunity was fortuitous and that Africa had real choices before it, "decisions are not easy, as there is no standard blueprint for regional integration. Experience around the world shows that each successful regional initiative must be crafted for its particular political and economic environment".

A number of issues were cited by Mr. Amoako as being of particular concern: how to assure that economic integration equitably serves to foster all parts of African society; how to assure regional public goods such as peace and security, health and research; how to make regional integration efficient; how to assure adequate finance; how to best sequence and pace tasks towards regional integration; and how to assure the benefits of broadly based societal involvement.

Mr. Amoako said the consensus statement that would emerge from ADF III would be brought to the attention of the upcoming OAU Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and would be widely circulated. He expressed his hope that the Forum would also help participants produce their own broadly based national agendas arising from government, the private sector, NGO networks, and the media, as "in the end, anything so tremendous as the African Union will require us to act beyond our own spheres of control, in broader networks and alliances".

In his opening statement, OAU Secretary General Amara Essy debunked the view that regional integration could not work in Africa because of the instability of many countries by arguing that integration is a solution to conflicts in Africa and will reduce the number and frequency of wars. He confirmed widespread speculation that the upcoming Summit of Heads of State in Pretoria in June would formally usher in the African Union, spelling the end of the OAU. He acknowledged ADF III as an important forum to address the many complex issues needing to be ironed out before the AU took off.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said regional integration was the "premier political and economic challenge" facing Africans today. All successful efforts at regional integration had been underpinned by political will as expressed by practical commitments in carrying out obligations assumed by Governments and political leaders, he stressed, warning that "if Africa is to succeed in this exercise, this is a lesson that we cannot ignore".

African Development Bank (ADB) President Omar Kabbaj, in a statement delivered by Vice-President Cyril Enweze, touched on the ADB's mandate and policy on regional integration issues, and addressed delegates on the Bank's experience in financing and promoting regional integration. Mr. Kabbaj applauded NEPAD, stating that it "has given new impetus to our projects and programmes, particularly those aimed at attaining economic co-operation and integration at the regional and continental levels".

Tomorrow's programme features plenary sessions on 'The History and Prospects for Regional Integration' and 'Assessing Economic Integration in Africa', which will feature the unveiling of preliminary findings of a major regional integration research project undertaken by ECA experts. [ADF3]

(END)

- For speeches, statements, audio and video footage of today's opening, visit the ADF III coverage page at http://www.uneca.org/adfiii/coverage/

- To join the ongoing ECA on-line discussion on regional integration, send a blank e-mail to join-adf3@lyris.bellanet.org and you'll receive an automated response explaining next steps. For archives of the discussion, go to http://www.bellanet.org/adf/2002/

- To take part in the ongoing AllAfrica.com discussion, go to http://allafrica.com/specials/adf/

- For more information, send a message to ecainfo@uneca.org

Issued by the Communication Team, ECA, P.O. Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Tel: +251-1-44 50 98 or 44 31 61

Fax: +251-1-51 03 65

E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org

Web: www.uneca.org

Tagged:
Copyright © 2002 United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.