PM Meles opens ECA conference of ministers with call for self-reliance ECA Press Release No. 04/2007 Addis Ababa, 2 April 2007 (ECA): The Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. Meles Zenawi, on Monday called on African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to generate strategies to ensure rapid, sustained and equitable growth on the continent, based on a reliance on African human and natural resources. He made this call while opening the 40 th session of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa at its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Prime Minster called for a set of ideas that addresses the multiplicity of needs and economic differences that prevail from country to country. “Inspite of the monstrous homogeneity in policy stance that we have allowed ourselves to be shackled with, there is some space for policy experimentation and diversity commensurate with our diverse circumstances,” he said. Meles stated that Africa can achieve the Millennium Development Goals if “we believe a little bit more in our capacity to be the authors of our own fate…and a little less in the possibility of deliverance from outside.” Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba, African Union Commissioner for Economic Affairs, also echoed the theme of self-reliance, and said the continent needs to develop an exit strategy from over reliance on aid. He said employment creation was a key to poverty alleviation and reminded the ministers of the plan of action, drawn by African heads of states and government last year, following their extraordinary summit on employment creation. He challenged the ministers to “walk the talk” by implementing the plan in their respective countries. Also speaking at the opening ceremony, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, said there was now a need for urgency if Africa is to achieve the MDGs by 2015. “We will soon run out of time to make the critical investments that we need to make in order to make the on-target achievement of these goals possible,” he said. Mr. Janneh also informed the ministers that following a repositioning exercise, ECA had now launched its 2007 – 2009 business plan. “The Business Plan translates ECA's strategic vision into a concrete set of activities,” he said. The ministers meeting, which runs from 2 – 3 April, was preceded by a meeting of the committee of experts, which considered several proposals for meeting the MDGs. These proposals are contained in a draft report, which the ministers will consider during their two-day meeting. End. Background: The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) organizes the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development every year. The meetings have become a key forum for agreement on strategies for tackling critical challenges facing the continent. Last year's meeting, held in Burkina Faso, discussed the issue of employment creation in Africa, and developed a strategy, which has been endorsed by African leaders. For the Issues Paper, Programme of Work, and other documents related to this year's Conference, visit www.uneca.org/conferenceofministers Documents from previous conferences, including Ministerial Statements, are also available at the same site. Issued by the ECA Information and Communication Service
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