FIFTH CONFERENCE OF AFRICAN MINISTERS IN CHARGE OF INTEGRATION (COMAI V) EXPERTS MEETING, 5‐6 SEPTEMBER 2011 NAIROBI, KENYA Opening remarks by Dr René Kouassi N’GUETTIA, Director, Economic Affairs Department, African Union Commission Mr Edward Sambili, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning, National Development and Vision 2030 of the Republic of Kenya, Distinguished Ambassadors, Distinguished Delegates, Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a real pleasure for me to stand before this august assembly to share with you our understanding of the interest of this meeting. But before that, allow me to express, on behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr Jean Ping, our heartfelt and profound gratitude to the Government of this great African country, Kenya, for the generosity, hospitality accorded to us and for the excellent working facilities placed at our disposal to ensure the success of this meeting. This undoubtedly bears witness to the continued commitment of Kenya to stand be with the African Union and support it in implementing the economic and political integration agenda of our Continent. We also thank Experts present here, who have agreed to devote some of their time to assist the African Union Commission in its daily efforts to boost up the dynamics of the ongoing integration in Africa. Distinguished delegates, Ladies and gentlemen, We are meeting here to prepare the 5th Conference of African Ministers in Charge of Integration. In this regard, we are called upon to pool our efforts in a spirit of mutual understanding and consensus to consider the items on the agenda of our meeting with a view to identifying the options that our Ministers will explore during their conference. In that prospect, we are called upon to exchange views on the central theme of the conference, which is INTEGRATION AND SOVEREIGNTY. This leads us to share with you our thoughts on this theme. You will recall that Africa, our Continent, was the subject of discussions of the Berlin Conference in the 19th Century, which paved the way for over a century of colonisation after three previous centuries of slavery or slave trade. The Berlin Conference was historically about the partitioning, division and balkanization of Africa, which was hitherto a land of great and homogeneously constituted empires and kingdoms. Africa, which remained balkanized into colonized territories, regained some hope towards the end of the 1950s and in the early 1960s with the advent of independence granted by the colonising capitals reluctantly. Having achieved independence and shaken off the colonial yoke, the countries embarked on the path of integration in order to not only eliminate the borders between their peoples who had been scarred by colonization, but also to build a united Africa of peoples, an economically developed and politically emancipated Africa. In the push for integration, Inter‐governmental Organizations emerged at the regional and continental levels. However, after more than half a century of attempts at integration, there are still mixed results. Today Africa reflects image of a Continent mark‐timing in comparison to the other regions of the world where integration is successfully taking root as the engine of growth and development. The reason is that in Africa the twin aspects of independence and sovereignty is, according to several observers, the main obstacle to the integration process. Hence the importance of the main theme of this Conference. We therefore call upon you, the experts, to consider thoroughly this problem with a view to identifying options for reflection by the Ministers when they meet. We in the AU Commission dare to believe that the two‐pronged phenomenon of independence‐sovereignty should not paralyse the regional and continental integration process. Far from it, it should motivate dynamism, likely to significantly accelerate integration of our Continent. This dynamism, which we all sincerely wish is called sharing of sovereignties. Thus, it is by pooling together our individual or national sovereignties, it is by sharing these sovereignties that real transfer of power to regional and continental bodies can be accepted, without which the political will to build an integrated Africa will be mere delusion. Sharing of sovereignties is therefore imperative for Africa as an inevitable means towards a successful integration process. Sharing of sovereignties today is to guarantee the success of the economic and political integration tomorrow. To reject or hide this reality is to contribute to the marginalisation of our countries and Continent in the community of Nations. It is also to condemn Africa to its current status of a divided, balkanized and fragmented Continent, and in which States delude themselves of being sovereign, when in reality they are just empty shells. Of what use are individual sovereignties when we have no means to protect or to sustain them? What is the worth of national sovereignties in the face of against the challenges of globalization, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the promotion of world public assets, etc? These pertinent questions summon African countries to enhance the unity of the Continent and combine their efforts in the search for solutions to the great challenges of our time. Distinguished delegates, Ladies and gentlemen, It is in this perspective you are called upon to validate the Study on the Quantification of Scenarios on Rationalisation of the Regional Economic Communities carried out in conformity with Decision 113 of the Assembly of the Union, consider and adopt the Minimum Integration Programme Action Plan prepared on the basis of the conclusions of the sectoral meetings organised by the Commission with the effective participation of the Regional Economic Communities and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. This quantified plan is a canvas of priority actions to be undertaken by Member States, Regional Economic Communities, the African Union Commission and development partners in order to accelerate the Continental integration process. Its adoption and implementation will be a gigantic step towards the integration on our continent and a show of a major act of sovereignty. In this regard, the Commission would like to count on your commitment and constant determination to present to the Ministers a flexible action plan that is accessible to all, bankable and whose funding will come mainly from Africa. Another aspect of sovereignty seems to be internal funding of activities identified both by the RECs and the African Union Commission; for you will agree with me that our integration can only be successfully achieved if it is funded from our own resources, hence the ongoing efforts of Commission to establish an innovative fund‐generating mechanism likely to reduce the burden of Member States of statutory contributions while guaranteeing a sustainable and secure source of funding for our activities. The Commission will have the opportunity during our deliberations to enlighten you on the progress of the project aimed at giving financial self‐sufficiency to our continental body. Since integration is a joint and long‐term effort, the Commission knows that it can count on the indispensable support of Member States, RECs, development partners and other stakeholders to ensure a happy and quick outcome and thus meet the aspirations of our peoples. The Commission would like to reassure you that it will spare no effort to translate into deeds the recommendations from your deliberations. I wish you full success in your deliberations and thank you for your kind attention.