06 Mar 2019

 Significant progress has been made in implementing three of the 14 African Union Agenda 2063 flagship projects, the Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation Dr Unity Dow has said.

Speaking at the just ended African Union Commission meeting in Gaborone Tuesday,  she said the three were the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA), Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, Goods and Services.

Dr Dow said 51 member states had signed ACFTA while 15 had ratified and deposited instruments for ratification, 26 had formally signed onto SAATM and 32 had appended signatures to the Protocol on the Free Movements of Persons, Goods and Services while others had begun to implement some aspects of the agreement.
 

The minister said Botswana was fully committed to implementing the continental development agenda and was among the first to benefit from the roll out of the domestication process.

“Botswana has signed both the ACFTA and SAATM,” she added.

She said the commission had been working with member states to align national development plans with the continental agenda.

“This is a welcome development which should be fast-tracked as it serves to further harmonize implementation at member states level and at continental level,” she said.

Observing that little or no progress had been achieved in the other flagship projects such as the Grand Inga Dam and the Continental Financial Institutions, Dr Dow stressed that individually and collectively, members should commit to work hard to address implementation challenges.
 

The purpose of the three-day meeting was to take stock of progress made in implementing AU Agenda 2063 and come up with innovative and practical ways of ensuring effective implementation of continental aspirations.
It was also aimed at considering key issues that would help move  forward the first 10 years implementation plan and the flagship projects.

Adopted in 2013, Agenda 2063 is a strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next 50 years.

The first 10 years implementation plan of the agenda ends in 2023 and is up for mid-term review this year.

Dr Dow said achieving the agenda called for concerted and coordinated efforts by all key players. She urged the AUC secretariat to speed up the consultative process and come up with clear recommendations on how to deal with implementation bottlenecks hindering full realisation of the agenda’s noble goals.

Dr Dow stressed the importance of the roles played by the regional economic communities and AU development agencies in implementing the agenda.

To evaluate progress made, she said it was fundamental that AUC engaged different stakeholders in government, private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations and other partners. Ends