Panafrican News Agency

Libyan Presidential Council Chairman welcomes efforts to promote African action

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Manfi, hailed efforts to advance the African action process and give impetus to the aspirations of the continent's peoples through the African Union (AU), regional economic groupings and regional mechanisms.

He said he was looking forward, despite the great challenges of the year 2021, to achieving what served the interests of the continent, and met the aspirations of its peoples.

He made the statement in Tobruk (East), via video conference, at the third biannual coordination meeting between the African Union, the African Union Commission, the Regional Economic Communities and regional mechanisms.

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, current Chairperson of the African Union, and a number of Heads of State and Government, Chairpersons of Regional Economic Communities, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and members of the AU Bureau attended the meting.

The Chairperson stressed that integration was the highest form of building an ideal continental bloc, to which all efforts since the inception of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had been directed.

He stated: "There is no doubt that the persistence of obstacles and challenges pushes us towards more reflection and unifying visions to find sustainable and advanced solutions that will bring our continent to the position it deserves, but this will only come with strong political will and speaking with one voice at al regional, continental and international levels."

In his speech, the Libyan Council President said the African Continental Free Trade Area and other continental programmes and strategies had become a reality on the ground.

He expressed the hope that this would be positively reflected in encouraging and supporting economies, small and medium enterprises, "in a way that contributes to making the economy of our continent competitive, and not only the economy dependent on imports and consumption".

He added that this always required, at all levels, to unite efforts and speak with one voice to make the continent fully independent and self-reliant.

The chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council stressed that the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) comprising Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia supported the efforts of all regional economic groups, those of the African Union and all member states, making continental integration a reality.

This will have a positive impact on the livelihood and wellbeing of the African people, and on the status of the continent.

Mr. al-Manfi said Libya was now completely different from the exceptional circumstances it went through in recent years, and that it was therefore time to activate the working mechanisms of the Continental Assembly for the economic benefit of the peoples under its jurisdiction.

He stressed that Libya would continue to support the cluster, especially in the mechanisms and aspects of the division of labour between the cluster, other regional economic groupings, other regional mechanisms, and the African Union.

-0- PANA BY/JSG/BBA/RA 16Oct2021