El Alamein, Egypt – President Cyril Ramaphosa has participated in the 8th African Union (AU) Mid Year Coordination Meeting in El Alamein, Egypt, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The meeting, held on Sunday in the Arab Republic of Egypt, brought together African leaders and delegations to consider key issues affecting continental integration, economic development, peace and security.
Among the issues on the agenda were efforts to strengthen regional integration, advance implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), accelerate infrastructure development and address peace and security challenges across Africa.
The Presidency said the meeting would also consider progress in implementing the division of labour between the African Union, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Member States, alongside efforts to strengthen cooperation on peace, security and economic development.
The meeting comes as African countries continue efforts to improve coordination between continental and regional institutions and translate commitments under the AU’s Agenda 2063 into practical programmes.
AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the gathering remained an important platform for strengthening cooperation between the AU, RECs and Regional Mechanisms (RMs), particularly in coordinating efforts towards Africa’s continental integration agenda.
Youssouf said Africa faced a complex and rapidly changing global geopolitical environment, requiring stronger collective responses to challenges affecting peace, security, stability and socio economic development.
He said progress had been made towards continental and regional integration, but institutional and operational challenges continued to affect implementation.
“The second decade of Agenda 2063 requires renewed political commitment, stronger coordination & effective implementation of the continental frameworks & instruments already adopted, and a clearer division of labour between the Union, RECs and RMs is essential.
“Such a division must be based on solidarity, complementarity and comparative advantage, while avoiding duplication and ensuring that collective efforts are directed towards tangible results for African citizens,” said the AU.
Youssouf said the AU Commission remained committed to working with Member States, RECs and RMs to strengthen peace and stability across the continent.
He also pointed to the need for Africa to strengthen its financial architecture and secure predictable, sustainable and adequate resources to support the implementation of Agenda 2063.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi welcomed African leaders and delegations to Egypt and called for stronger coordination among the AU, RECs and RMs.
According to the African Union, El Sisi said closer coordination should help African countries move away from fragmented initiatives towards deeper integration and turn continental aspirations into projects capable of delivering tangible benefits.
“President El Sisi emphasised that coordination must serve a practical purpose: moving Africa from fragmented efforts towards greater integration, & from shared aspirations towards concrete, implementable projects that deliver tangible benefits to African peoples,” said the African Union.
Ramaphosa holds bilateral talks
Ramaphosa also used the meeting to hold bilateral discussions with Youssouf.
The engagement allowed the two leaders to discuss matters of mutual interest and explore ways of strengthening cooperation in support of Africa’s integration agenda.
The South African President also met with El Sisi for bilateral talks focused on relations between South Africa and Egypt.
The discussions provided an opportunity for the two leaders to consider areas of shared interest, strengthen bilateral cooperation and deepen collaboration within the wider framework of African development and regional cooperation.
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