Africa regional integration index: talking points for Carlos Lopes UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA

Abstract

This index is coming at a critical time for Africa’s regional integration agenda. Following the AU’s landmark decision on fast-tracking the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) and on the Action Plan for Boosting Intra-African Trade, the CFTA negotiations are due to be launched at the forthcoming AU Summit in June this year. It will be a key building block for arriving at a single, common African market across the continent. It is therefore fitting that we should now be working towards a monitoring and evaluation mechanism for African integration, to support implementation during this critical phase. Many important development initiatives in Africa have failed to achieve their objectives because of the absence of an effective arrangement for implementation, monitoring and evaluation.