The moroni communique

Abstract

The 21st Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) was jointly organized by the Government of the Union of Comoros and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Eastern Africa. The theme of the meeting was “Transformative Growth in Eastern Africa: Catalysts and Constraints”. The meeting acknowledged the impressive economic performance of Eastern Africa over the past several years. While economic growth has moderated since 2016, principally due to sustained drought, a modest recovery is anticipated in 2018. The meeting agreed that greater value addition in agriculture and mining, coupled with environmental resilience, is crucial to sustain economic growth in the medium term. The meeting also agreed that the progress of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was strong, but the region still faces challenges in achieving the bolder and broader set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).