Date: 5 March 2024Time: 3.00 pm \u2013 4.00 pm (GMT+1)
\nVenue: Online event (Register Now)
\nBackground \u00a0
\nDuring the 14th Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) held in Kinshasa in October 2009, a decision was made\u00a0to accelerate the \u00a0rationalization process of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Central Africa.\u00a0The Council of Ministers of the Steering Committee for the Rationalization of the Regional Economic Communities in Central Africa (Comit\u00e9 de Pilotage de la Rationalisation des Communaut\u00e9s \u00c9conomiques R\u00e9gionales en Afrique Centrale \u2013 COPIL\/CER-AC), which met in Yaound\u00e9 on 11 and 12 August, examined and validated the draft Constitutive Treaty of the new Regional Economic Community (REC), which will replace ECCAS and CEMAC. Several difficulties were identified and the Council recommended that the States, ECCAS and CEMAC meet their financial obligations to COPIL\/CER-AC in order to speed up the rationalization process. The Council also recommended that the institutions of the Communaut\u00e9 \u00c9conomique des Pays des Grands Lacs (CEPGL) be integrated into the new structure of the future REC, pending the decisions of its decision-making bodies.\u00a0The aim is to align the integration process with the objectives of the AU and to address the low level of trade between Central African countries, the small size of sub-regional markets and the existence of a multitude of different community organizations in a context of scarce resources. This implies absorbing and merging these RECs so that they are synchronized (African Union, 2005). Streamlining should also include standardizing and harmonizing the strategies, programs, sectoral projects and cooperation instruments of existing institutions. To date, some progress has been made, including the unification of the ECCAS and CEMAC free trade areas; the drafting of a customs code, a common external tariff and a common trade policy; the adoption of twelve priority areas for rationalization (trade, health, free movement of persons and goods, mechanisms for financing integration, security, budgetary and monetary rules, approximation of institutional frameworks, etc.); the reorganization of the CEMAC and ECCAS action plans; and the adoption of a common trade policy); the reorganization of the COPIL\/CER-AC Action Plan, which now runs from 2018 to 2023. With the new REC which was supposed\u00a0to come into operation in 2023, it is time to take stock of the progress made, the difficulties that remain and the means to overcome them.
\nObjectives
\nThe main objective of this conversation is to discuss the progress of the rationalization process of the Regional Economic Communities in Central Africa, as well as strategies to facilitate and accelerate the process. More specifically, the conversation will consist of:<\/p>\n
Discussing the different types of rationalization of economic communities and their strengths and weaknesses in the Central African context.
\nDiscussing the preconditions and challenges that are essential for the success of the process of rationalization of RECs in Central Africa.
\nDiscussing the priority measures to be implemented by the countries in order to seize all the opportunities for the rationalization of Regional Economic Communities.<\/p>\n
Expected Outcomes
\nCentral African States, businesses, organizations, administrations, academics and populations are urged to be aware of their key role in actively promoting the rationalization process between the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC).
\nTarget audience
\nThe event targets public and private institutions, international trade experts, development partners, political decision-makers, entrepreneurs, traders, academia\u00a0and members of civil society, as well as private sector players in Central Africa.
\nContact
\nEmail: info@foretiafoundation.org\u00a0\u00a0\/ Tel: (+237) 654 86 72 54<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Date: 5 March 2024Time: 3.00 pm \u2013 4.00 pm (GMT+1) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"_eb_attr":"","content-type":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[625,169,374],"class_list":["post-18032","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","hentry","tribe_events_cat-event","tribe_events_cat-events","tribe_events_cat-webinar","cat_event","cat_events","cat_webinar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n