Moffat Mungazi
Zvamaida Murwira in MALABO, Equatorial Guinea
AFRICA should come up with a sustainable funding model where it mobilises its resources rather than relying on outside development partners for its programmes to safeguard its sovereignty.
This came out yesterday during the 47th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union Member States being held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, is part of the delegation attending the session as Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers.
The meeting is being held under the theme: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”.
Pan African Parliament president, Chief Fortune Charumbira, is also attending the event that is being held at the Sipopo Conference Centre in Malabo near the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
In an interview on the sidelines of the conference, Prof Murwira said deliberations centred on the need for a paradigm shift in which Africa finds ways to mobilise its resources rather than having the bulk of its budget from outside the continent.
He said it was also noted that trade among African countries was at its lowest, with most of the trade taking place beyond the borders of the continent.
“One of the issues was to review the documentary report from the Permanent Representative Council of the Ambassadors at the African Union. That report touched on finances to multilateral cooperation, also to the African Continental Free Trade Area. When it comes to finances, we have been looking at the budget of the African Union,” said Prof Murwira.
“The key highlight basically is that our budget, about 80 percent of our budget, 77 percent to be exact, is coming from partners. The African Union has made it a point that we want to move away from over-dependence on partners because it basically interferes with our programmes because you can’t programme boldly using borrowed resources or using given resources. You programme boldly and sustainably using your own resources.”
He said delegates noted the need for innovation to come up with a self financing mechanism for the continent.
“So our point basically is that while we are thankful for the support that we are getting, the African Union has to move towards sustainability of self-funding by raising innovation, domestic resources and contributing to the African Union cover so that we can fund our own programmes. Because any other thing has a compromise on sovereignty,” said Prof Murwira.
He said discussions had also centred on deepening trade among African countries. “We also looked at the issue of the African Continental Free Trade Area. It is intra-African trade which can liberate Africa from over-dependence on donations. And that’s the only way we can bring prosperity,” said Prof Murwira.
“And this is again according to Zimbabwe’s doctrine of making sure that we are Pan-African, we are Africa-focused. And we begin to move away from trade barriers, so that we can trade more amongst ourselves because currently we are trading 20 percent amongst ourselves and the rest of Africa is trading with the rest of the world,” said Prof Murwira.
The two-day session is also being attended by African Union Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and the AU Executive Council chairperson and Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Tete Antonio.
The 47th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council is organised by the African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the host country.
Some of the objectives of the meeting are to deliberate on fast-tracking the integration process in Africa, brainstorm on the report and matrix of the Division of Labour between the AU, Regional Economic Communities and Member States, as well as consider reports of the AfCFTA.
The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting was conceptualised in 2017 as the principal forum for the AU and Regional Economic Communities to align their work and coordinate the implementation of the continental integration agenda, replacing the June/ July summits.
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