Weekly round-up

In this week’s AU Monitor, Lloyd Himaambo brings news of the Zambian government’s selection of Dr Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika, a veteran woman politician and diplomat, as the candidate for the position of the African Union Commission Chairperson. The elections will be held at the AU summit in Addis Ababa in January 2008.

In the regional news, Arezki Daoud argues that while the economies of the Maghreb are improving, regional politics aimed at understanding and improving relations have reversed. Defence spending in Algeria and Morocco along with regional and African positions and policies from Libya and Algeria are cause for suspicion and rivalry. The author asserts that North African states are 'channeling their resources in areas that create a false sense of splendor and greatness when in fact, critical economic and social indicators need major attention'.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will receive an extra US$24,650,000 to support activities in trade, health and conflict mitigation from USAID. Additionally, ECOWAS and Unesco are organising a seminar from 24-26 September in Cape Verde on the theme 'Nation states and the challenges of regional integration in West Africa'.

In trade news, civil society organisations have condemned the EU for abusing the December deadline to put unjustifiable pressure on African governments to concede to its terms in the ongoing negotiation in the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). They stated that Africa has everything to lose and nothing to gain by signing the EPAs. At a workshop convened in Libya to build union leader capacity, African unionists recommended the mainstreaming of the concept of decent work and the implementation of a practical work programme, with a view to eradicating poverty and establishing peace and social security on the continent.

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is convening a meeting of the Millennium Development Goal Africa Steering Group, which was set up after a report in June showed that Africa, at its present rate, would fail to achieve any of the MDGs. The meeting will focus on three objectives: the international system’s support for African governments in implementing practical programmes to achieve the MDGs in health, education, infrastructure, agriculture and food security; the need to ensure aid predictability, so that African governments can plan ahead; and enhancing collaboration among the group’s members at the country level.