Work groups from Africa-Arab Partnership gather in Ethiopia

The Africa-Arab Partnership meeting started Wednesday to discuss trade, investment, transport and communication at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The meeting was created to work on the development of an Africa-Arab Action plan, which will become part of the region's 2017-2019 action plan, set to be unveiled in November during the fourth annual Africa-Arab Summit in Equatorial Guinea.

The action plan will include a variety of strategies aimed at making a positive impact on the lives of African and Arab people.

On behalf of AU Commission Chair Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, opening remarks were presented by Levi Uche Madueke, head of Africa’s Strategic Partnerships within the Bureau of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

Khaled Foda, director of the Telecommunications Department of the League of Arab States, lauded AU officials for their work, saying the League of Arab States was committed to making progress with the most recent meeting.

Madueke told the attendees the meeting was meant as a follow-up for meetings that took place in Egypt in March and December of last year. He told the working groups they should use resolutions developed in November 2013 at the third Africa-Arab Summit as a model.

All work that is completed will eventually be a part of Africa's Agenda 2063.

On Friday, the groups came together to combine their work into a single document, which will be forwarded to the Senior Officials Meeting of the Coordination Committee of the Africa-Arab Partnership, set for Feb. 29 in Egypt.