Egyptian President praises Africa's progress in integration
Cairo, Egypt (NAPA) - Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sissi said on Wednesday that Africa has made great progress in complementarity, regional and continental integration since the Lagos Plan of Action for the Economic Development of Africa 1980-2000, through the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community, signed in Abuja, Nigeria, in 1991, to the African Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) which entered into force on 30 May, 2019.
Mr. Sissi is quoted by Egyptian television as saying after a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the presence of the presidents of the major African economic gatherings in Sochi, .
President Sissi, who holds the current presidency of the African Union, said that the eight African economic groupings play an indispensable role in forging links between African countries, making them fundamental foundations for strengthening the joint African effort.
On the margins of the Afro-Russian Economic Forum in Sochi, Russia, Sissi said: "The development of transport, travel and communication infrastructure in Africa is a vital issue to achieve the much-desired integration and development at the regional and continental levels, given the importance of infrastructure for the movement of people, goods and services."
The Egyptian Head of State said that infrastructure is needed to strengthen communication channels, knowledge and data transfer, which will lower the cost of trade and investment and ensure a favorable climate for achieving greater economic integration on the continent.
"The creation of infrastructure is also aimed at achieving Africa's priorities, the most important of which are economic and social development and the strengthening of the purchasing power of Africans," he said.
He reaffirmed his support for joint work and cooperation with development partners to mobilize the necessary resources to achieve the objectives of the African Development Agenda 2063, calling on the Russian and international private sectors to invest in the black continent on behalf of Africa.
-0- PANA YY/IN/BEH/SOC/MTA/VAO 23Oct2019
