BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
ADDIS ABABA – The African Union (AU) must create incentives for the private sector to play a role in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) ,so remarked Angolan Ambassador to Ethiopia. In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, the Angolan Ambassador to Ethiopia ,AU and UN Economic Commission Francisco José da Cruz said that Africa countries need to address the trade barriers and make things much easier for the private sector to play significant role and need to have a regional integration to make sure that the free trade area becomes a reality.
“We need to facilitate VISA’s so that people and goods are moving freely across borders and address the trade barriers.” With regard to the 36th AU summit, the ambassador said that the summit focused on advancing the African Free Trade Zone, and how it will to move forward with regional integration. Apart from AU reform, the summit also discussed peace and security issues giving special emphasis to DRC as it currently faces multiple simultaneous crises including violent conflict and instability.
Commending the Pretoria peace agreement between the Ethiopian government and TPLF, the ambassador said: “We have also seen progress in some other parts of the continent even though we still have concerned countries, especially those who made unconstitutional changes of governments.” “It is important to indicate that they continue to make progress and come up with a civilian lead government so that they can rejoin the Africa Union as they have been suspended,” The ambassador said. Asked about the AU come up with wonderful decisions but lagging behind from being changing into practical actions, he said: “That is why the institutional reform of the AU is significant.”
This organization needs to be more result oriented, make things and even make decisions with a very pragmatic approach and can implement them not just as political statements without practical ways of making them a reality, Amb. Francisco José da Cruz said. It is important to find “Africa solutions to Africa problems” as those solutions will be based on our reality and traditions as well as culture. So, they have to be sustainable, the ambassador said.
“We need to have a strong sense of solidarity helping those countries in need. That is why a country like Angola is engaged in conflict prevention, management and resolution due to the fact that we have experience and sense. It was learnt that Ethiopia is conducting diplomatic relationship with Angola through its Embassy in Zimbabwe and Angola opened its Embassy in Ethiopia in 1979.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2023
