04 Feb 2019

Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation, Dr Unity Dow on February 1 briefed President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi on the agenda of the ongoing 32nd ordinary session of the African Union (AU).

Preparatory meetings for the session by government officials are currently being held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, ahead of the arrival of heads of state.

Top on the agenda, Dr Dow said, was institutional reforms which had been a priority for the regional body for some years.

“This implies reforms in processes and relations of the African Union with member states,” she noted.

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement and its potential for boosting intra-African trade is also expected to feature as a priority area for the session.

It is envisaged that consolidation of the continent into a single trade area would provide opportunities to implement regional integration, boost African’s industrialisation and broaden trade prospects for industries and consumers.

Also on the agenda will be implementation of the assembly decision on post Cotonou negotiations.

The Cotonou Agreement, known as the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)-European Union Partnership Agreement, is made up of 48 Sub-Saharan African countries and 31 countries from the Caribbean and the Pacific.

With the agreement coming to an end in February 2020, both parties are looking to advance their interests and renegotiate issues relating to trade, migration and development.

The ACP group’s main objective is to ensure sustainable development of its member-states and their gradual integration into the global economy, prioritising poverty reduction with a view to establishing a new and fairer world order.

Minister Dow emphasised that in renegotiating the deal, the African Union would bank on expertise from its own region to advance the AU’s interests.

The 32nd ordinary session of the AU started on January 15 and ends on February 11 under the theme: The year of refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons: Towards durable solutions to forced displacement in Africa. ENDS