PDF (2.0 MB)

Africa also needs to act as one in the area of trade, especially in negotiationsat the WTO and the Economic Partnership Agreementswith European Union. The objective in both negotiations should beto seek development outcomes that favour Africa. While there isvisible evidence of increasingly strong collaboration between Africancountries and the regional groupings in these negotiations, there isstill a need to do much more. At the end of the day, the clout andbargaining power that will enable favourable outcomes depend to alarge extent on economic size as well as the offers being brought tothe table. Increased intra-Africa trade is therefore necessary to enablethe continent to take advantage of global trade opportunities.This would, in turn require overcoming the challenges that impedethe flow of goods and services within the continent as well as thediversification of Africa’s production structures.Trade facilitation is closely tied to the need for affordable, efficient,and sustainable physical infrastructure to support economic activitiesand the provision of basic social services. Of particular importancein this regard is transport infrastructure such as roads, rail,air, and port services which need to be rehabilitated and expanded.Integration is also an important means of managing shared waterresources, which have a vital role to play in the transport of goodsand people. Moreover, Africa needs to develop energy infrastructuresuch as electricity grids and oil and gas pipelines that will facilitatecross-border energy supplies, thereby enhancing security and reliabilityof energy supply. Energy issues were addressed when AfricanFinance and Energy Ministers came together with development partnersat the Financing for Development Conference to deliberate onthe mobilisation of financial resources to help meet Africa’s energyneeds.Regional solutions are also important in the sustainable managementof Africa’s vast natural resources in areas such as governance,institutional capacity, ownership, and the environment. These issueswere addressed at this year’s Big Table, jointly organised by ECA andthe African Development Bank in close collaboration with the AfricanUnion Commission. Several useful recommendations emanatedfrom the frank and robust dialogue which is the hallmark of this forum,including suggestions that the African Peer Review Mechanismbe expanded to include the governance of the natural resources sectorand that natural resources management should be mainstreamed22 Part One