Experts assess the Economic Partnership Agreements negotiations process

A two-day review meeting held in Nairobi by the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union (AU) and the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Secretariat concluded that despite steady efforts across the continent to complete the Economic Partnership Agreements negotiations process by December 2007, progress is slow.

According to the participants, bottlenecks hampering progress in EPAs negotiations include the lack of agreement on rules of origin, the vulnerability of African economies to reciprocity with European Union countries and the lack of common understanding of the trade-related development framework. The fact that negotiations focus on market access, thus ignoring Africa's regional integration processes was also identified as a key obstacle.

The meeting called upon the European Union and Africa's sub - regions to renew commitment and political will to resolve outstanding issues, as a prerequisite for the timely completion of the negotiation process. Participants also urged for more transparency from the European Union and requested that information be provided speedily to facilitate the process.

The negotiations are expected to be completed by 31 December 2007.

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Road safety, a key development priority

African Ministers attending the Road Safety Conference held in Accra (dates) issued a declaration committing "to set and achieve measurable national targets for road safety and traffic-injury prevention to contribute to the achievement of Africa's overall Millennium Development Goals".

According to the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention (link ) , published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank in 2004, road traffic crashes claim the lives of more than 1.2 million people every year and are responsible for about 40 million injuries. They disproportionately affect low and middle-income countries, with costs of between 65 billion and 100 billion US$. The World Bank estimates that, if fatality rates per vehicle in poorer countries were reduced by 30% by 2020, more than 2.5 million lives could be saved and 200 million injuries avoided.

See the Accra declaration

Developing a Capacity building strategy for the NEPAD implementation

About 40 stakeholders and experts addressed the key elements for capacity development in Africa during a three-day workshop organized in Addis Ababa by the NEPAD Secretariat and ECA, in collaboration with the African Capacity Building Foundation, and the Southern Africa Trust and Dimension Data.

Participants agreed on finalizing and implementing a capacity strategy that is aimed at addressing the challenges facing the speedy implementation of NEPAD programmes.

Africa's natural resource management discussed at the Big Table

Ministers from several African countries exchanged views on how to the better manage Africa's natural resources for economic growth and poverty reduction. They met within the framework of the Big Table, an informal consultation between African senior policy makers and their counterparts from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The Big Table format and agenda are designed to allow for maximum interactive dialogue, with no formal statements. The event was organized by ECA in collaboration with the African Union and the African Development Bank.

National focal points discuss the accelerated implementation of APRM

A training workshop for African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) national focal points held in Addis Ababa from 20 to 21 February stressed the need to inform and educate African countries about the peer review process.

The objective of this workshop, organized by the APRM secretariat, the South Africa Institute for International Affairs and other partners was to discuss challenges and prospects for the accelerated implementation of the APRM process in the Central, Eastern and Southern African regions.

Experts to harmonize trade cooperation instruments in Central Africa

Stakeholders attending the adhoc experts group meeting held in Douala, Cameroun agreed on a common framework for harmonization of trade cooperation instruments between the Central African Monetary and Economic Community (CEMAC) and the Economic Community of Central African States. They recommended the harmonization of rules of origin, certificates of origin, compensation mechanisms and treatments of re-exports within the subregion. The objective is to unify and strengthen the subregional market space.

Making ICTs a tool for democratic governance in SADC region

A four-day MPs Forum organized by the Southern African Development Community's Parliamentary Forum in collaboration with ECA's Sub regional Office for Southern Africa and the ICTs and Science and Technology Division, gathered more than 40 participants in mid-February in Johannesburg under the theme: "building an inclusive information society in the SADC region".

The objective of the workshop was to promote the use of ICTs at parliament level as a tool for democratic governance and institutional development.

In her opening statement Ms Bookie M Kethusegile-Juru declared that: "Internet can improve interaction with constituencies and provide feedback mechanisms where the electorate's opinions are heard".

North Africa development Forum calls for integrated trade policies

About 300 policy makers, civil society and private sector representatives attending the North Africa development Forum in Marrakech (Morocco) last week called for the intensification of trade relations in the subregion. The Marrakech Declaration, adopted by participants at the Forum stresses the importance of public and private sector partnerships, the empowerment of women, the exchange of information and the coordination of policies for the intra-regional trade development. The Forum was convened by ECA's Sub regional Office for North Africa.

The next Conference of African Ministers of finance, planning and economic development scheduled from 29 March to 4 April 2007, will review the Marrakech Declaration. Read more