President Bola Tinubu, during his address at the fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union (AU), the Regional Economic Communities, the Regional Mechanisms, and the AU Member-States, in Nairobi, Kenya, has vehemently rejected any notion of a new scramble for Africa, stating that the continent should never again endure the plundering and exploitation of its resources.
Tinubu, while eloquently emphasising the unity and strength of Africa, called for a collective commitment to leaving behind the dark chapters of Africa’s past, ensuring that they are not repeated, and directing attention towards a prosperous future for the continent.
On trade, the Nigerian leader said ECOWAS had achieved the Free Trade Area and was working on establishing the Customs Union and Common Market.
Highlighting efforts made by ECOWAS to consolidate the gains of its trade liberalisation scheme and support the implementation of the AfCFTA, the Nigerian leader said the ECOWAS Commission had been assisting member-states in the negotiations, ratification, and implementation of the AfCFTA. He noted that 13 out of the 15 ECOWAS member states have ratified the agreement.
As the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Tinubu expressed his honour to participate, for the first time, in the Mid-Year Meeting of AU.
While commending AU for their efforts in strengthening collaboration and coordination between the continental and regional bodies, President Tinubu thanked the Government and people of the Republic of Kenya for hosting the meeting and providing excellent facilities for the participants.
