African foreign ministers and heads of regional development blocs to meet in Nairobi
President Uhuru Kenyatta (top, centre) chairs the 24th Summit of Heads of State and Government participating in the African Peer Review Mechanism forum on the sidelines of the 26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 29, 2016.
What you need to know:
- Advance briefing note says discussants will try to tackle what they call a paradox of a continent rich in natural resources but with the poorest people in the world
- According to document, meeting will allow for in-depth discussions on changing mindsets and other issues
- International development expert Calestous Juma and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Secretary-General Sindiso Ngwenya are scheduled to speak
African foreign ministers and heads of regional development blocs will converge in Nairobi on Friday to discuss ways of improving integration and boosting development in Africa.
The gathering will bring together foreign ministers from 54 African Union (AU) member countries as well as heads of regional blocs and representatives of United Nations (UN) agencies.
The meeting, named Ministerial Retreat, will be held at the Radisson Blu Hotel and will be about the AU’s Agenda 2063, a vision and action plan that aims to create “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena”.
An advance briefing note seen by the Nation says discussants will try to tackle what they call a paradox of a continent rich in natural resources but with the poorest people in the world. The assembly will “allow for in-depth discussions on the paradox of rich Africa, poor Africans, on changing mind-sets and other relevant issues,” the document says.
WAS DISCUSSED
Interestingly, this is what the ministers discussed in their last meeting in February in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Africa, they said then, was rich in minerals, fertile lands, waters with fish and a hardworking population “and yet stuck in the cycle of underdevelopment, with marginal contributions to global production; its populations scoring low on human development indices”.
“In addition, its human capital in terms of critical skills is severely lacking,” the foreign ministers said.
The Nairobi meeting will include executives from regional blocs such as the East African Community, New Partnership for Africa's Development Planning and Coordination Agency, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, African Development Bank and African Capacity Building Foundation.
International development expert Calestous Juma and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Secretary-General Sindiso Ngwenya are scheduled to address the meeting, according to a provisional agenda published yesterday.
