Boosting Intra-African Trade- Jonathan’s speech at the 18th AU Assembly,Addis Ababa
Posted Sun Jan 29,2012

PROTOCOL,

It is a great pleasure for me to attend the 18th Ordinary session of our Assembly dedicated to the theme: “Boosting Intra-African Trade”.

Let me from the outset, pay tribute to my brother, President Teodoro Nguema Mbasogo for his stewardship of our Union through what was, undoubtedly, a very difficult and challenging year.  Under his leadership, we weathered the storm of the political crises in Cote d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

I wish to congratulate my brother, His Excellency Boni Yayi, President of the Republic of Benin for his election as new Chairperson of the African Union. I have no doubt that under his leadership our Union will build on the progress recorded last year.

Mr. Chairman ,It will be remiss of me not to express my gratitude and appreciation to my friend and brother, His Excellency Ato Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and our host, for his generous hospitality to me since my arrival in Addis Ababa.

Similarly, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Government and people of the People’s Republic of China for donating and constructing in record time, a befitting edifice that is now home to the African Union.  This building not only symbolizes the genuine friendship between Africa and China, but also underlines our commitment to consolidate and deepen an enduring partnership.  I have no doubt that China will sustain its support for Africa’s economic development in a mutually beneficial relationship.

I would like to acknowledge and commend Dr. Jean Ping, Chairperson of the AU Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank for their hard work in the preparations for this summit.

Your Excellencies, May I also seize this opportunity to thank you and others outside this hall, for the expression of support and solidarity in the wake of the recent spate of terrorist attacks in some parts of my country.  Your words of counsel, more especially, offers of support and cooperation, to deal with this menace are reassuring to me that Nigeria is not alone in the fight against terrorism. Indeed, my administration is taking every measure necessary to speedily tackle this problem. 

Mr. Chairman ,One year ago, our Assembly met here in Addis Ababa on the theme: “Shared Values Towards Greater Unity and Integration”. This current Summit on “Boosting Intra-African Trade”, underscores the imperative of shared values as the bedrock for achieving integration.  Our commitment as individual Member States, as Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and as a united continental body, to realize this objective for the good of all must not waver.  Africa’s economic development will be more difficult to achieve without a free intra-African economic and trading system. This will, in turn, increase its underdevelopment and marginalization.

Therefore, we all appreciate the need for Africa to build a formidable mechanism for internal trade and economic resilience to protect the continent’s economies from external shocks.

 The Lagos Plan of Action, the Abuja Treaty, and the NEPAD Charter, among other instruments on Africa’s economic integration and development, adequately address how to make Africa economically independent and self-sustaining. 

It is against the backdrop of these frameworks, that I would like to share our experience in West Africa regarding economic integration.  I should emphasize in this regard, that the key to enhancing intra-African trade is the free movement of people, goods and services.  In the 37 years since the formation of ECOWAS, we have witnessed increased access of our diverse products to larger markets and greater access to larger labour work-force.  Furthermore, it has encouraged our producers to produce more efficiently based on factors of comparative advantage, specialization and increased competitiveness.  Indeed, it has created wider variety for consumers thus impacting on prices and ensuring economic stabilization.

Added to these specific economic gains, is the socio-political solidarity that has accrued amongst us in the sub-region which cannot be quantified. Our sustained trading contacts have, overtime, also helped to bridge our socio-cultural differences and lent our countries to harmonious co-existence. These and other advantages, I believe, justify the need for consensus here today on the priorities we must pursue, as well as the measures required, to achieve the goal of an African common market.

Chairman/Your Excellencies,

The projected modest growth of Africa’s GDP to 5% of global GDP by 2020 is anything but assured, given the frequent and sometimes persistent international economic and financial crises. Consequently, the necessity for an Action Plan to launch a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), in line with the framework and stages  outlined in the Abuja Treaty, remains unassailable.

 My optimism notwithstanding, I should caution against rigidity on a Continental Free Trade Area.  Our experience with setting free trade targets in West Africa, leads us to believe that the multi-faceted benefits of a Continental Free Trade Area cannot be achieved without adequate infrastructure policy, legal, socio-political and cross-border security frameworks.

Of equal importance, is the need for guaranteed and predictable sources of funding for the implementation of projects.  Indeed, our best efforts can bear very little fruit unless there is partnership between the public and the private sectors at the international, continental and national levels. 

I should add at this juncture, that a favorable international environment is also needed to complement our domestic efforts.  In this regard, I wish to call for greater political will and commitment to conclude the Doha trade negotiations to enable Africa benefit meaningfully from trade as the engine for development.  Other measures must include granting Africa greater voice, representation and participation in decision making in international financial and development institutions.  Besides, there is need for consistency, coherence and transparency in dealings with Africa. 

These lessons from our regional perspective are essential and germane for building a viable, fair and trouble-free Continental Free Trade Area. Above all, the total package of institutional and systemic enablers must all be  in place.  These include the provision of adequate infrastructure, policy and regulatory frameworks, conducive social, political and economic environment, financial services and support to businessmen and women, locally and across borders. If addressed, these measures will assist in reducing the anticipated adjustment costs, as well as put less pressure on the compensatory system and ensure a cost-effective governance architecture for the Continental Free Trade Area.

Excellencies,

It is beyond doubt that our regional economic communities provide the best platform for accelerating and achieving economic integration.  Therefore, what is required of us is to do more to implement the several initiatives that we have already adopted aimed at addressing factors such as infrastructure, productive capacity and science and technology that inhibit integration efforts.   In this regard, I would like to reiterate the view I expressed last October at the Commonwealth Business Forum in Perth, Australia, where I said, “There is need to have a clearer basis for trans-boundary cooperation to manage common resources like water and energy and to enable the erection of regional infrastructure that will power intra-Africa trade which is currently at only 10% of total trade in the continent ”. 

Your Excellencies, In the final analysis, my assessment of the progress towards the Continental Free Trade Area does not lead me to believe that 2017 is a realistic target for its take-off.  Several of the key enablers that I havealready enumerated, not to mention other challenges and constraints, remain lacking. For this reason, I am not convinced that by 2017 these challenges would be overcome to enable the smooth take-off of a trade regime that caters to the needs of all our countries and RECs.

For the time being, in our words and deeds, we can and must do more, to realize the objectives of the Programme for Infrastructural Development in Africa (PIDA), the Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa (AIDA) Initiative, African Productive Capacity Initiative (APCI), as well as the Action Plan for Development of Science and Technology, among others. It is by implementing these plans that we can hasten the emplacement of a Continental Free Trade Area that would stand the test of time and deliver on its promise.

Mr. Chairperson,

Before I end my remarks, I would like to recommend that the proposed CFTA Action Plan and its programmed cluster of activities be regarded by the Assembly as guidelines to address the identified challenges and constraints. The launching of the Continental Free Trade Area should follow at an appropriate and more realistic time.    Now is the time for the Assembly to give consideration to a multi-speed development of the CFTA to allow States to join at a pace that best suits their needs.  After all, in both the common markets of the European Community (EC) and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), members were not required to all join at the same time.

The road to Continental Free Trade Area is far from easy.  Member States need to work on all convergence and fiscal issues including infrastructure, trade policy, border security, Customs, travel visas/migration, investments, and judicial governance among others. We are still grappling with these issues in the entire ECOWAS sub-region.

Your Excellencies,

Taking a gradual, but incremental step toward a CFTA, would accord with the values of democracy that we espouse across the continent. It will be difficult in some of our domains, to accede to the CFTA without first involving our citizens and other stakeholders in frank and open discussions to reach consensus on strategic national public policy interests.  We must be open to sharing experiences and learning useful lessons.  There are no quick-fixes to integration. 

I thank you for your attention.

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR

President

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Being the full text of the Presentation By President Goodluck  Ebele  Jonathan, GCFR,  On “Boosting Intra-African Trade” At The 18th AU Assembly, January 29 – 30, 2012, Addis Ababa