AU chairperson Moussa Faki. [Photo/namibiansun.com]
A legal framework for the management of migration and mobility to promote regional integration is due for adoption by the African Union Summit in January 2018.
In his New Year’s message AfricanUnion Commission (AUC) Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat confirmed that.
“The Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic CommunityRelating to the Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment has been elaborated.”
According to Mahamat the Single African Air Transport Market, an Agenda 2063 flagship project will be launched on the margins of the African Union Summit.
“Twenty-three Member States have pledged their solemn commitment to the Single Air Market, the implementation of which will increase the number of routes, reduce the cost of air travel and contribute to the expansion of intra-African trade and tourism. I call on all Member States that have not yet done so to join this important initiative.” He added.
The African Union Commission Chairperson says another flagship project of Agenda 2063 the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) agreement and other related documents will be adopted in March 2018. It is expected the CFTA, will create a market of over 1.2 billion people. Its establishment will significantly increase intra-African trade, create economies of scale and regional value chains, and augment job opportunities.
The Commission will also accelerate the implementation of a number of continental policies, including in the area of infrastructure, with the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), and agriculture, with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). Mahamat said greater emphasis will be placed on food security and safety.
He further affirmed the African Union remains committed to working with the Member States to deliver on the ambitious Agenda 2063 flagship project of Silencing the Guns by 2020.
‘‘We all need to rededicate ourselves to ending violence and sustaining peace in our continent, including by bringing to a successful conclusion the ongoing peace processes in Mali and the Central African Republic, ensuring that the elections planned in the Democratic Republic of Congo in December 2018 take place on time and in a conducive environment, consolidating progress made in Somalia, and ending the threat posed by terrorism in the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, and in the Horn of Africa,” he added.
2018 is the African Anti-Corruption Year (Project 2018) as declared by the Africa Union Summit with the theme “Winning the Fight Against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.”
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