Conference of African Ministers in Charge of Integration

Kigali, 24 July 2007— Rwanda, the country of a thousand hills, has been hosting the working session of the meeting of Member States’ experts on integration in Africa. The experts’ meeting, which will last from the 23 to 25 July 2007, is holding in the Conference Hall of the Rwandan Prime Ministry and precedes the Conference of Ministers which will hold in the same venue from 26 to 27 July 2007.

Many representatives of Member States, Regional Economic Communities and other invited guests are attending the session during which the following points will be discussed:
• The review of the Abuja Treaty and elaboration of a minimum integration programme (MIP);
• Consideration of the implementation plan of the Ouagadougou recommendations;
• Consideration and adoption of the report of the meeting of experts;
• Consideration and adoption of the draft ministerial declaration;

The meeting of experts was officially opened by Honourable Dr. Charles Muringade, the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. Two addresses were made, the first by the AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Dr. Maxwell M. Mkwezalamba, who spoke on behalf of the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Alpha Oumar Konare. He expressed his sincere thanks to H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, to all members of his government and to the people of Rwanda for accepting to organize the Second Conference of African Ministers in charge of Integration. He further thanked them for the warm hospitality accorded to all the delegations and for excellent arrangements made to ensure the success of the conference.

He then enumerated the major challenges impeding the integration process on the African Continent, among which are: multilateral trade negotiations, the pitiful state of infrastructures on the Continent, and the proliferation and overlapping of regional economic communities. The Commissioner also commended the efforts deployed by different regional economic communities to promote regional integration on the African continent, which he said, was a major step in resolving the problem of overlapping membership of RECs.

With regard to the implementation of the Banjul decision on the rationalization of RECs, the Commissioner informed the meeting that the AU Commission undertook a study on rationalization of RECs which focused on the revision of the Abuja Treaty and the elaboration of a Minimum Integration Programme (MIP) for and between the RECs. The analytical report of the study took into account a number of vital challenges which impede integration on the Continent. These include the resolution of the problem of the multiplicity and overlapping membership of RECs; the creation of free trade zones and customs unions; the elaboration of a minimum integration programme within and between RECs; the need to implement, follow-up and evaluate integration programmes and policies, as well as a strengthening of the institutional and legal frameworks to consolidate integration and commitments relating thereto.

He further commended the decision of the Accra Assembly of July 2007 authorising the Chairperson of the African Union Commission to sign, with the Chief Executives of the RECs recognized by the AU and on their behalf, the Protocol on Relations between the AU and the RECs. Finally, the Commissioner reassured the meeting that the African Union Commission would work to ensure that the Protocol is signed as soon as possible.

The second speaker was Dr. Muringade, the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs. He welcomed participants to Kigali (Rwanda) and thanked the African Union Commission for having chosen Rwanda to host the Second Conference of Ministers in charge of Integration.

The Minister indicated that the theme of this meeting is very pertinent to Rwanda, given that it is faced with the same problems of multiple membership of different RECs, with the consequence of a loss and dispersal of its meagre resources. In light of these problems, Rwanda has undertaken a study on her integration options as well as their costs and benefits. Based on the results of this study, Rwanda took the decision to withdraw its membership from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and to drop its application to become a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He urged other Member States in the same situation to emulate Rwanda’s example.

The Minister further said that he was convinced that integration is a vital too for the acceleration of the economic, social, cultural and political development of African countries. Integration can lead not only to the creation of huge markets, but also to the facilitation of regulatory frameworks, he said. He ended by saying that integration will further enable the creation of environments conducive to the profitability of investments, while also helping to eradicate conflicts.

The opening session was concluded by the setting up of the bureau composed as follows:
President: RWANDA
1st Vice President: MALI
2nd Vice President: EGYPTE
1st Rapporteur: CAMEROON
2nd Rapporteur: ZIMBABWE

For more information, contact:

For Rwanda
• Mr. Masozera M. Robert, Director of Communication
Tel: +250 08541534

For the African Union Commission
• Dr. Kouassi N’Guettia, Director of the Economic Affairs Department
Tel: +250 03054761
• Mrs. Kabran Christiane Yanrou, Communication & Information
Tel: +250 03001854

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