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Ph:DR:Joe Attah-Mensah, Senior Policy Advisor, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
Africa’s regional integration achieved through the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is imperative for the continent’s economic growth and development, says Joe Attah-Mensah, Senior Policy Advisor, at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
“Many Africans yearn for the continent’s 55 fragmented economies to be integrated into one strong, robust, diversified and resilient economy,” said Mr. Attah-Mensah, during a farewell seminar on the theme, “Is Africa integrating or disintegrating? A reflection on the last 20 years and the future”. The seminar was organized by ECA staff to mark his retirement.
The AfCFTA is a free trade area launched in 2019 by African countries to create a single continental market with a population of around 1.3 billion people and a combined GDP of around US$3.4 trillion. With the objective of achieving its full exercise, the ZLECAf, which has the mandate to eliminate trade barriers, will be the largest free trade area in the world bringing together 55 countries. To date, it has been signed by 54 African countries and ratified by 47 of them. Throughout his career at ECA, Mr. Attah-Mensah is widely recognized as a passionate advocate of the regional integration agenda.
An integrated Africa is a prosperous Africa
In a presentation laced with sayings and statements from Africa’s founding leaders, Mr. Attah-Mensah emphasized that an integrated Africa is underpinned by first-rate cross-border infrastructure, a highly educated workforce, flexible and mobile as well as highly mobile financial capital. Furthermore, sound sanitation facilities, peace and security are essential to sustain an integrated Africa.
- Attah-Mensah called for investing in and “strengthening supply chain infrastructure, such as transport, communications, utilities and technology to support the AfCFTA.”
Abolish visas for Africans
“Abolish visas for Africans traveling to Africa,” Mr. Attah-Mensah said, illustrating the issuance of visas on arrival as “insufficient” and suggested that countries could “share information to ban Africans who present a security risk”.
He called on Member States to ratify the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment, highlighting the link “between the free movement of persons and economic growth and the contribution of the free movement of persons to the creation of a common market”.
While the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons has been signed by a number of Member States, only four have ratified it. Some member states have eased travel restrictions by facilitating visa-free entry for Africans traveling to the continent and issuing visas on arrival.
- Attah-Mensah also called on Member States to embrace Artificial Intelligence to deepen regional integration, noting that emerging machine learning and artificial learning applications promise to reshape healthcare, agriculture and democracy. in the developing world.
Addressing infrastructure issues, he underscored the importance of having reliable and affordable electricity, stressing the need to “urgently address the persistently high energy costs, which increase the cost of production and reduce the competitiveness of trade”. .
ECA in support of regional integration
- Attah-Mensah also dwelt on the support role of the ECA, to the Organization of African Unity, now the African Union which has been central in particular in terms of its integration program and informed the audience that the 1963 ECA Conference of Finance Ministers in Khartoum, Sudan, gave birth to the African Development Bank (ADB). In addition, ECA has supported the establishment of some Regional Economic Commissions.
Acting Executive Secretary of ECA, Antonio Pedro, commended Mr. Attah-Mensah for his “commitment and key role in promoting regional integration in Africa” and acknowledged his substantial contribution to the work of ECA.
Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist Hanan Morsy congratulated Mr. Attah-Mensah on his passion, achievements and commitment to the regional integration agenda and wished him a successful retirement.
For his part, Robert Lisinge, Acting Director of the Private Sector Development and Finance Division and long-time collaborator on infrastructure issues, expressed his thanks on behalf of ECA staff.
The seminar was chaired by Said Adejumobi, Director of ECA’s Strategic Planning, Oversight and Results Division. More than 300 dignitaries, past and present colleagues, family members and friends attended online and in person to celebrate the illustrious career of Joseph Attah-Mensah and his contributions to ECA and the regional integration agenda of the Africa. Speakers included former ECA Executive Secretary, KY Amoako; former AU Vice President, Erastus Mwencha; AU High Representative of the Silencing the Guns Initiative, Mohammed Ibn Chambers; Economist, former Minister of Finance of Malawi and former AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Maxwell Mkwezalamba; Economist and former Minister of Finance of Tunisia, Hakim Ben Hammouda; Senior Advisor to Albert Muchanga, AU Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Jean-Bertrand Azapmo; former senior AfDB official, Lamin Manneh; and the Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Samira Bawumia, who spoke on behalf of the Vice President of Ghana, Mahamudu Bawumia. Also present were former AU Commissioner, Anthony Maruping, and former COMESA Secretary General, Sindiso Ngwenya. Ayodele Odusola, UNDP Resident Representative in South Africa and Stephen Karingi, Director of Regional Integration and Trade Division, ECA contributed to Attah-Mensah’s presentation.
Described as a “fearless and sometimes lonely voice,” Attah-Mensah is retiring from CEA after two decades of dedicated service in various capacities. He has led organizational planning work including the State of Regional Integration in Africa report and numerous policy-oriented research. Previously, Mr. Attah-Mensah worked for the Central Bank of Canada.
