26 Nov 2020

The report, prepared by the AU Commission’s Department of Economic Affairs, looks at the state of regional integration on the continent, as well as the short- and long-term effects of COVID-19 on Africa, and proposes solutions to remedy their impact. It states that the pandemic has highlighted the urgency of effectively integrating the continent, including developing a manufacturing base in various sectors and boosting intra-African trade.

19 Nov 2020

African Member States have spearheaded the African Union’s (AU) Initiative on Silencing the Guns (STG) in Africa. The Master Roadmap (AUMR) recognizes that, beyond the ongoing political and military efforts, there is a need for structural interventions in the area of socio-economic development, to allow for issues of governance, youth and women, employment and education, climate change, and other pertinent factors to be considered in the efforts to silence the guns in Africa.

12 Nov 2020

The challenge of developing centralized electricity systems is a priority for the economic and social development of sub-Saharan Africa. While the sub-Saharan population is expected to almost double in thirty years according to the United Nations (UN), to reach 2.1 billion inhabitants in 2050, including 1.2 billion in urban areas, the continent will have to provide jobs for young people entering the labour market every year. 20 million additional jobs will have to be created every year over the next twenty years in order to absorb new arrivals. In light of this, the development of the industrial sector must aim to reduce endemic poverty in the region, while absorbing the demographic growth and rapid urbanization of the continent. However, the development of the industrial sector is currently severely limited by the weak state of centralized sub-Saharan electricity networks.

5 Nov 2020

Lebanon’s post-war political order may have reached its limit as its economy implodes. Its elites have yet to chart a way out of a crisis that they created themselves over the years. Their failures have provoked popular, occasionally violent, protests that have continued despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Lebanon’s main donors, especially in Europe, are keen to see the country recover but, conscious of its poor record of instituting reforms, have attached strings to assistance beyond emergency humanitarian aid. Donors have told the government and ruling elites that they must first reach a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and carry out reforms in accordance with past commitments. (…) The European Union and member states should stick to this line, agreeing to resume non-humanitarian assistance only once the Lebanese authorities launch genuine reforms that benefit the country as a whole, not just the privileged few.