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ternational financial system and architecture. Key in this regard isthe issue of giving Africa greater voice and representation in internationalfinancial processes and bodies. However, we should continueto demonstrate that our collective voice reached on a consensualbasis is worth listening to by being coherent, consistent and wellreasoned.I believe that the Ministerial Statement adopted by theFinance Ministers in Cairo met these requirements and should underpinAfrica’s participation at the forthcoming G8 meeting in Italyas well as the next G20 meeting in New York. Its spirit will also serveAfrica well in ongoing trade negotiations concerning the EconomicPartnership Agreements with the European Union and the DohaRound trade talks of the WTO, whose Aid-for-Trade agenda shouldbe utilised to the fullest.Climate change is another area in which Africa needs to speak with aclear, consistent and common voice and I am pleased to report thatthe AU Commission and ECA have been working together with colleaguesin the AfDB to support Member States in the forthcomingnegotiations on a post-Kyoto framework on climate change. Thereare several areas of importance in the climate change negotiationssuch as mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer, and finance.However, because Africa does not contribute much to the environmentaldamage causing climate change, its key concern is related toadaptation and how to finance the cost of this activity. While estimatesand figures vary, what is clear is that the cost of adaptation ishigh and the flow of resources to Africa under existing mechanismsto finance climate are low.There can be no doubt that Africa has made substantial progress inagricultural production, which is the mainstay of our economies, andthe Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme ofNEPAD has been instrumental in placing agriculture on the nationaland regional policy agenda. However, as last year’s food crisis revealed,there are major structural challenges in African agriculturethat need to be addressed if this continent is to achieve its potentialas a major agricultural producer. These shortcomings include prevalenceof subsistence farming, low utilisation of abundant land andwater resources and a high degree of fragmentation of agriculturaltrade across fifty-three boundaries and consequent low levels of intra-Africatrade in agriculture.Integrating Africa39