Addis Ababa, 22 May 2017: Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, the African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy has stated that the AU-EU partnership is one of the most structured of all the partnerships that Africa has, as it has institutionalized implementation mechanisms; from the policy and decision-making to the technical implementation level.

Commissioner Abou-Zeid’s statement was made in Brussels on 24th April at the meeting of the Reference Group on Infrastructure (RGI), whose main objective was to develop the 2018-2020 strategic infrastructure roadmap.

Commissioner Abou-Zeid proposed a strategy for infrastructure development in rural and remote areas through an integrated approach that will prioritise programmes and deliver roads, energy and ICT to help these regions leapfrog in their development trajectory.

“Even as we focus on large scale projects that will result in integrating Africa and linking with Europe, our attention is drawn to rural and remote areas in Africa,” the Commissioner told a packed room of African and European partners outlining some of the continent’s successes. “We are convinced that such a paradigm shift is necessary in order to achieve our very own Agenda 2063 and the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development,” the Commissioner said.

The Commissioner was joined by presenters including Mr. Cheikh Bedda, Director at the Department for Infrastructure and Energy who outlined the African Union Vision and the AU Agenda 2063, and highlighted some of the initiatives currently underway at the African Union including the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).

On his part, Mr. Roberto Ridolfi, Director for Sustainable Growth and Development at the European Commission spoke about the European External Investment Plan (EEIP) whose main objective is to encourage investment in Africa and the EU neighborhood and to strengthen partnerships and contribute to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the AU Agenda 2063. He explained that the plan will “assist in developing economically and financially viable projects to attract investment in Africa”.

Commissioner Abou-Zeid also had a series bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the meeting with European Commission Vice President Andrus Ansip, EU Commissioner for Transport Mrs. Violeta Bulc and Commissioner for International Cooperation & Development Mr. Neven Mimica. The conversations covered several issues including operationalisation of the Single African Air Transport Market, Implementation of PIDA PAP, Universal Access to Energy, Regulatory Harmonisation, and ICT in digital economy. The AU and the EU agreed to continue their full range of bilateral programmes and consultations, and to look for ways to further strengthen cooperation in the future.

For further information contact

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

Sophia Nesri | PIDA Information Analyst | Department of Infrastructure and Energy | African Union Commission I E-mail: sophian@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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