Africa-Press – Angola. Angolan President João Lourenço returned to Luanda Sunday evening from the city of Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Upon arrival, the African Union Chairperson received greetings from the Vice President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, and other senior state officials.
In the capital of Equatorial Guinea, President João Lourenço chaired the 7th biannual coordination meeting of the African Union with the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms.
During his speech at the opening session, he highlighted the long road still to be covered by the continent towards development.
On the occasion, the President stressed that, despite the progress made and applauded by all, structural, institutional and political challenges persist that hinder the full realization of the continental ambition.
Among these, he highlighted crucial issues such as low industrialization and poor diversification of economies, as well as insufficient harmonization of trade, fiscal, health and customs policies, discouraging economic operators, and may even create political tensions.
He also mentioned armed conflicts and institutional instability, which compromise the peace necessary for any effective integration process.
President João Lourenço stressed that addressing peace and security issues and building secure and resilient infrastructure is a key driver of sustainable development in Africa.
He was therefore convinced that, by taking place at the 7th edition of the Biannual Coordination Meeting, they will have the opportunity to make significant progress through structured discussions in the processes related to the evaluation of the progress made.
Similarly, on issues relating to the identification of possible bottlenecks and the definition of roadmaps to strengthen integration.
Hence, according to the President, Africa is once again called upon to unite to face the existing challenges and, through a common position and with the support of its different partners, to provide the necessary structural responses.
In his speech, he argued that integration should not be just a task for governments.
For this reason, he said that African people, especially young people, civil society, businesses and academics, must be an active part of this process, so that it translates into more job opportunities, greater access to markets, mobility to study and work and more resilience in the face of external shocks.
He also defended regional integration as a strategic investment in the stability, sovereignty and collective prosperity of states.
“In an increasingly multipolar and competitive world, where large regional blocs gain weight in global decisions, Africa cannot continue to speak with scattered voices, nor negotiate with fragmented interests”, he argued.
He stressed that this need for unity in defending the interests of the continent must already be demonstrated on the occasion of the European Union-Africa Summit, to be held at the end of November in Luanda.
For the AU leader, the moment requires reinforced political will, binding commitments and, above all, tangible results for citizens.
“It is time to accelerate the implementation of regional protocols, to trust in the capacities of the continent and promote African production for African consumption, to transform the integration corridors into true arteries of development and peace, to make African youth, with their creativity and energy, the engine of our integration”, he added.
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