Senior officials and experts from ministries and agencies responsible for transportation from African Union (AU) member states are meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in preparation for the Third Session of the African Union Conference of African Ministers of Transport (CAMT), scheduled for 10-11 April.
In an address read on his behalf at the opening, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Elham Ibrahim highlighted Africa’s economic capacity, demonstrated in its implementation of strong economic growth in many countries, and the regional and continental infrastructure projects linking different part of Africa.
He acknowledged that the continent has the lowest rate of access to modern infrastructure of energies, Information and Communications Technology, water, sanitation and transport services, emphasising on the linkages between infrastructure and economic growth.
Dr Ibrahim said Africa needs to address the challenges of modernisation of infrastructure and transport services, in addition to dealing with the major issues of innovative investments, participation of the private sector to develop financial instruments of mixing, strengthening institutional capacity, legislative and regulatory environment conducive to investment and coordinated regional and continental of the different parties involved in the transportation sector in synergy.
Mr. Francisco Mba Olo Bahamonde, Minister of Transportation Technology, Postal Services and Telecommunications of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, said the conference would “avail an opportunity to have a collective reflection that will enable to enrich the knowledge of the various phenomena of the African transport and the factors that influence them”.
It will also”lead us Africans to be more receptive to jointly and severally work for all our governments, public and private institutions and the people to achieve the best results in this sector, reaffirming the links and historical ties existing between them”.
According to the AU Commission, the Third Session of CAMT aims to review the implementation of the various sub-sector plans of action, target specific outcomes, and identify constraints as well as new challenges to facilitate rapid implementation of transport development activities.
It will also provide strategic direction to the AU Commission and all stakeholders on the appropriate actions to take for a coherent development of the transport sector on the continent, in addition to electing a new bureau to manage its activities during the period from 2014 to 2015.
PANA reports that the Third Session of CAMT is being held under the theme: “Speeding-up Transport Programm Delivery for Facilitating Africa’s Economic Growth.”
