Luanda — Angola on Friday called for renewed reflection on the free movement of people and goods in Central Africa as part of efforts to strengthen regional integration.
The position was expressed by Foreign Minister Téte António during the opening of the retreat of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Economic Community of Central African States (COREP-ECCAS).
Téte António said that strengthening the capacities of ECCAS institutions, particularly COREP, was essential for greater ownership of regional issues and constituted a collective responsibility of member states.
"In this way, we will be able to build an increasingly stronger and more effective ECCAS," he said.
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The minister quoted President João Lourenço, who has stated that "regional integration is a strategic investment in the stability, sovereignty and collective prosperity of our states".
In this context, he advocated African solutions to the region's challenges, highlighting the unification of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) and the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) within the framework of ECCAS.
Among the priority areas identified were trade, health, the free movement of people and goods, financing mechanisms for integration, security, and budgetary and monetary regulation.
The minister also urged participants to use the retreat as an opportunity to reflect on the solutions that ECCAS should prioritise and implement in order to support the organisation's executive bodies.
COREP is one of the institutions within the ECCAS governance framework and brings together ambassadors of member states accredited to the Commission of the organisation.
The permanent representatives contribute to the preparation of the work of the Community's decision-making bodies, monitor matters of regional interest and ensure dialogue between member states and the ECCAS Commission.
The retreat is being held under the theme "Strengthening COREP's performance in the service of regional integration: institutional capacities, ownership of the ECCAS strategic vision and promotion of the Community in the Republic of Angola and other member states".
The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) was established in December 1981 in Libreville, Gabon, with the objective of promoting economic cooperation, sustainable development and regional integration among Central African countries.
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The organisation became operational in 1985 and currently comprises 11 member states: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Rwanda.
Its principal objectives include strengthening economic and trade integration, reducing barriers to the movement of goods and services, and promoting peace, stability and security across the region.
