The Chairperson of the AU Commission, Mohamoud Ali Youssouf, welcomed the focus on the AfCFTA and the proposal for transformative strategic actions. Among the actions supporting the implementation of the free trade area, he mentioned the signing of the Protocol between the continental organization, the Regional Economic Communities, and the Regional Mechanisms as an important step at the institutional and integration levels.
Youssouf announced that a coordination meeting between these parties, as well as the ECA and the African Development Bank, will be held mid-year to present the progress made in integration and adopt recommendations to overcome obstacles hindering the fluidity of trade and financial flows.
The adoption of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol in February 2024 strengthened its legal arsenal following the adoption in 2023 of protocols on investment, competition policy, intellectual property, and trade in women and youth, Youssouf added, as other developments in favor of the initiative. However, he acknowledged persistent negative aspects such as insecurity, the lack of sustainable local financing, limited mobility of people, goods, and services, the low rate of industrialization, and the poor quality of physical infrastructure.
Added to this are the structural challenges essentially linked to the electricity shortage and the low internet penetration rate on the continent, the official emphasized. Citing the Africa Atlas 2024, he noted that 600 million people on the continent are not connected to the electricity grid, which hampers widespread access to this service and exacerbates the digital division. “The African Union has developed strategies to reduce these deficits. Unfortunately, their implementation remains hampered by insufficient funding,” he stated.
Before concluding, the Chairperson of the AU Commission invited Member States to reflect deeply to find a lasting solution to these structural issues that are paralyzing Africa’s progress toward mastering future technologies.
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