Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli has reaffirmed Egypt’s belief in the importance of regional and continental integration in support of the national efforts aimed at attaining the goals of African Agenda 2063.
In a speech delivered on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) in Tunis on Saturday 27/08/2022, Madbouli also underscored the need for concerted international efforts to help achieve security and development in Africa.
This summit comes at extraordinary circumstances imposed by ongoing global challenges, and it is no surprise to anyone that developing countries, especially in Africa, were the hardest hit by these challenges, Madbouli said during the first general session of summit, held to discuss economic issues.
Tunisian President Kais Saied, President of Senegal Macky Sall, Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki, and a host of heads of African states and governments attended the session, with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida participating via videoconferencing.
Madbouli explained that diversifying food import sources, securing supply chains, and curbing price hikes are among the pressing economic challenges that require immediate and effective measures to promote sustainable development efforts in Africa.
This issue calls for joint coordination to improve national agricultural policies in a bid to reach self-sufficiency, by offering a bundle of economic incentives, given the direct impact of food insecurity on peace and security on continental peace and security, Madbouli said.
Madbouli said the second challenge facing African sustainable development efforts necessitates giving special priority to alleviating African countries’ debt burdens by supporting the small and medium sized projects, in line with TICAD Yokohama Action Plan launched by President Sisi and late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2019.
Meanwhile, the third challenge has to do with an effective implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as the cornerstone of continental economic integration, to create an investment-friendly environment and optimize the use of the continent’s resources, the prime minister added.
He noted that climate change represents the fourth challenge that also requires unified international efforts. On that score, the premier touched upon Egypt’s plans to seize the opportunity of its presidency of the upcoming global climate summit, COP27, in November for redirecting the focus of international climate talks towards the need to promote the principle of collective responsibility.
The summit will also focus on the green recovery and green agendas to boost Africa’s resilience to climate change impacts, Madbouli said, voicing Egypt’s interest in maintaining ongoing cooperation with Japan to translate climate commitments into action and secure necessary climate financing, especially for adaptation purposes.
Madbouli concluded by emphasizing the need to adopt a comprehensive approach to prevent the resurgence of armed conflicts in Africa, underscoring the importance of supporting reconstruction and development efforts in conflict-hit areas.
Source: State Information Service Egypt