Regional Cooperation and Integration Division
Division Chief: Mr. Yousif Suliman
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Promoting
Regional Cooperation and Integration
The sub-programme on regional cooperation and integration aims at promoting policies, methods and strategies for increasing regional and subregional cooperation through implementation of sectoral integration, in particular the development of trade and movement of information and persons and for utilization of minerals and other natural resources in Africa as a basis for African integration and the establishment of the African Economic Community. This will be achieved through activities designed around three major themes: promoting cooperation and integration; facilitating policy decisions and dissemination results of experiences; and building critical capacities to support the integration process at national, subregional and regional level.
The
sub-programme is composed of four major components:
1.Facilitating and
Enhancing the Process of Regional Economic Integration: this component focuses on
research aimed at guiding and facilitating the implementation of existing cooperative
arrangements, strengthening the institutional and operational capacities of economic
groupings, providing support to African countries in upgrading thier role in the World
economy.
2.Transport
and Communications: focus will be on promoting coordinated development of
infrastructure in the critical area of transport and communications to ease the existing
inter-country bottlenecks through the programme of UNTACDA II.
3.Minerals
and Energy: providing assistance in building capacities
for exploration and rational utilization of mineral and energy resources, with emphasis on
the creation of capacities for the processing of minerals.
4. Transboundary Water
Resources: facilitating inter country dialogue and promoting inter country
cooperation for development, equitable sharing and management of transboundary water
resources with a view to avoiding possible conflicts among the reparian countries
Strategies
Four
Approaches:
- Development of regional infrastructure networks
- Promote domestic and foreign direct investment and liberalize trade
- Promote policy convergence
- Promote inter country cooperation through TCDC/ECDC
Objectives
Assist member
countries achieve sustainable development through:
- Strengthening regional economic groupings (COMESA, ECCAS, ECOWAS, IGAD, SADC, UDEAC, UEMCA, UMA.)
- Promoting the building of regional networks of transport and communications;
- Promoting capacity building for the utilization of mineral and energy resources
- Development and utilization of transborder water resources