Seven years ago, member states of the African Union set a target of silencing guns by 2020 in a declaration signed and adopted by the union assembly in 2013.
On Sunday afternoon, the heads of states of the AU gathered for the 14th Extraordinary AU Summit under the theme 'Silencing the Guns in Africa' as the union celebrates its 50th anniversary.
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda also took part in this summit and delivered a statement alongside other Heads of State and Government on the topic -'Silencing the Guns in Africa'.
'We are still very far from ending conflict in Africa. In some places there is even backsliding. Africa's Citizens, of course, are the ones who pay the price. The Self-evident need to renew this program for another 10 years is an acknowledgement that we have collectively fallen short,' President Kagame said in his carefully worded statement on Sunday.
Kagame said that progress had been made in strengthening the AU's ability to contribute meaningfully to peace and security. 'One example is the operationalisation of the African Union Peace Fund, which has been funded by Member States at the highest level since it was established in 1993, with nearly $200million.'
According to President Kagame, this is a good step, 'But we must recognise that conflict cannot be ended by treating symptoms or cleaning up the messes after the fact'.
He counseled that the only sustainable way to silence the guns on the continent is to deal directly and swiftly with the political and economic factors that create the conditions for violence and strife in the first place; 'Accomplishing this within our power as a continent and it must be our priority,' he said.
In his conclusion, Kagame said, 'Thank you President Cyril Ramaphosa and AU Commission President Moussa Faki for your leadership of this important summit on the start of AfCFTA and Silencing the Guns in Africa. These are two critical flagship priorities for the prosperity of our people and the Africa We Want.'
Assembly adopts decision on the start of trading
On Saturday, the 13th Extra Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) under the Chairmanship of President Cyril Ramaphosa Chairperson of the African Union (AU) adopted decision on the start of trading.
The moment that we have all been working painstakingly towards has finally arrived…We are all filled with a great sense of pride at how far we have come to reach this moment'.
'Throughout this process, we have stood united, with 55 sovereign AU Member States rallying together, despite different levels of economic development and diverse strategic priorities. The commencement of trading under the AfCFTA on the 1st of January 2021 is one of the most significant milestones in the continental integration project,' Noted the AU Chairperson.
He underlined that, this is going to be the clearest affirmation that Africa is determined to take charge of its own destiny, and that its success and development is fundamentally tied to harnessing the potential and energies of her citizens.
According to President Cyrl Ramaphosa, the AfCFTA will boost intra-African trade, it will promote industrialisation and competitiveness and contribute to job creation, and it will unleash regional value chains that will facilitate Africa's meaningful integration into the global economy.
The AfCFTA will also improve the prospects of Africa as an attractive investment destination. It will help advance the empowerment of Africa's women, by improving women's access to trade opportunities which will in turn facilitate economic freedom for women, and expand the productive capacity of countries.
'To support this, we must strengthen women's participation in the continental economy by ensuring there is greater public procurement earmarked for women-owned businesses. We must ensure that there is sufficient support given to women-owned SMMEs and cooperatives in both local and regional economies,' Chairperson Ramaphosa emphasised.
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Source : https://taarifa.rw/conflicts-in-africa-still-far-from-ending-kagame/
