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

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;

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

 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 The Union Government and the Audit of the Union

 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; Ministerial Committee on the Union Government

 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. Ministerial Committee on the Union Government (Cont’d)

 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 Assembly’s decisions at various levels; Audit Report on the Union Government

 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; Audit Report on the Union Government (Cont’d)

 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. Audit Report on the Union Government (Cont’d)

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

Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Cont’d) 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

Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Cont’d) 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  Urged the Republic of Rwanda and the Republic of Burundi to speed up the process of integrating fully into the EAC Customs Union.

Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Cont’d) 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.

Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Cont’d) 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.

Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Cont’d) 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.

Recent Major Decision of the RECs (Cont’d) 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.

Major Activities of AUC and ECA AUC  Second Conference of African Ministers in Charge of Integration in Kigali in July 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

ECA’s Planned Activities  ARIA IV;  Observatory on Regional Integration in Africa;  Technical Assistance on Capacity Building and Cooperation;  Infrastructure and Natural Resources Initiatives.

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 :

Issues for Consideration (Cont’d)  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 ECA’s programmes and activities on infrastructure and natural resources

Many thanks for your Attention