President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi will participate on Sunday in the fifth mid-year coordination meeting of the African Union (AU), which will be held in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in the presence of African leaders and heads of government.
Ahmed Fahmy, the official spokesperson for the presidency, said that the African Coordination Meeting was launched in 2019 under the Egyptian chairmanship of the African Union. It was established as part of efforts toward the institutional reform of the Union, the division of labour and tasks between the African Union Commission and regional economic groupings, and the enhancement of the course of regional integration among the continent’s countries, particularly with regard to economic integration, the most significant steps of which was launching the African Continental Free Trade Area under the AU’s Egyptian chairmanship in 2019.
Al-Sisi is set to deliver a speech, outlining Egypt’s plan in its capacity as current chair of the Steering Committee of Heads of State and Government of the African Development Agency (NEPAD). In his capacity as current chairperson of the United Nations Climate Conference, the President will also address the Environment and Climate Change Session, showcasing Egypt’s efforts to address the impacts of climate change on African countries.
President Al-Sisi is expected to hold talks with his brother, President of Kenya, William Ruto, to explore mechanisms to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries, ways to address the concerns of the African continent, as well as developments in regional issues and dossiers of mutual interest. They will also discuss cooperation to strengthen the frameworks of joint African action in order to push forward the development process and promote integration in the continent.
President Al-Sisi will discuss with the leaders and heads of government participating in the meeting the progress made in the work program for the commercial integration of the countries of the continent.
He will also review the ways to enhance the integration, including steps related to the promotion of freedom of movement and the African Common Passport, and ways to link financial markets and infrastructure of the countries of the continent.
An AU statement said; the participants of the meeting will discuss the establishment of an African Common Market to accelerate trade, agriculture, business and skills exchange on the African continent.
The meeting will also discuss the coordination of efforts among the AU, the major economic communities and the member states of the Continental Free Trade Area Agreement to accelerate trade integration efforts. The coordination covers a number of key axes, including the planning, adoption and implementation of policies, monitoring and evaluation, resource mobilization and partnerships.
The agenda of the coordination meeting also includes ways to finance the African Union’s 2063 agenda, focus on the economic recovery of the African continent and implement initiatives to address challenges in agriculture, infrastructure, debt, climate change, security, energy and health.
