Africans Should Increase Intra-Trade

Daniel Nana Aforo (Special AU Summit report)

The UN Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission of Africa, Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, has said if the continent of African want to  take advantage of global trade opportunities  there is the need to increase intra-African trade.

This, he said would in turn require over coming the challenges that impede the flow of goods and services within the continent as well as the desertification of Africa’s production structures.

He said trade facilitation is closely tied hence the need for affordable, efficincient, and sustainable physical infrastructure to support the economic activities and the provision of basic social services.

The ECA Secretary-General said this at the opening of the Eleventh Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union, in Accra.

“African also needs to act as one people in the areas of trade especially in negotiations at the World Trade Organization, and the Economic Partnership Agreements with European Union”.

He added that the negotiations should be to seek development outcomes that favour African continent. Adding, African needs to develop energy infrastructure such as electricity grids, oil and gas pipes that would facilitate cross-border energy supplies.

Recently, energy issues were addressed when African Finance and Energy Ministers came together with development partners in Accra, at the financing for Development of financial resources to help meet Africa’s energy needs.

He also said there should be regional solutions which are vital in the sustainable management of Africa’s vast natural resources in areas like governace, institutional capaicity, ownership, and the environment.

He said the promotion of good governance lies in turn at the heart of ensuring peace and stability in Africa, because it gives voice to the marginalized communities and promotes fair access to resources and opportunities for development.

He said more efforts need to be done to especially on Darfur and Somalia which require a concerted action by the African Union and its partners.

We should help consolidate peace and security in countries emerging from conflicts, through regional perspective “we can mobilize international support for such efforts”.

The Vice President of Ghana, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, said Africa faces serious challenges to her development strategies such as debt burden, inequitable trading relations with the developed countries, rampant conflicts have all conspired to keep Africa poor and weak.

“We should strengthen continental unity, solidarity, also redynamise and invigorate existing structure while working towards the operationalisation of those structures that have not worked effectively and efficiently”.

He urged African leaders to look at the possibility of establishing new structures and mechanisms that are effective, robust, and dynamic and deploy all energy energies and efforts to elaborate the necessary modalities and time frame for achieving Union Government.