Community
of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD)
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The
Community of Sahel-Saharan States CEN-SAD is a framework for
Integration and Complementarity. It intends to work, together
with the other regional economic communities and the Organization
of African Unity, to strengthen peace, security and stability
and achieve global economic and social development. |
| CEN-SAD
was established on 4th February 1998 following the Conference
of Leaders and Heads of States held in Tripoli (Great Jahamiriya).
The Treaty on the establishment of the Community was signed
by the Leader of Great El-Fateh Revolution and the Heads of
State of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan. The Central
African Republic and Eritrea joined the Community during the
first Summit of the organization held in Syrte in April 1999.
Senegal, Djibouti and Gambia joined during the N’djamena
Summit in February 2000. Others countries joined later, and
still more are in the process of joining the Organization.
More
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Economic
Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
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At a summit meeting in December
1981, the leaders of the Central African Customs and Economic
Union (UDEAC) agreed in principle to form a wider economic community
of Central African states. CEEAC/ECCAS was established on 18
October 1983 by the UDEAC members and the members of the Economic
Community of the Great Lakes States (CEPGL) (Burundi, Rwanda
and the then Zaire) as well as Sao Tome and Principe.Angola
remained an observer until 1999, when it became a full member. |
| ECCAS began functioning
in 1985, but has been inactive since 1992 because of financial
difficulties (non-payment of membership fees) and the conflict
in the Great Lakes area.The war in the DRC has been particularly
divisive, as Rwanda and Angola fought on opposing sides.More
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Common
Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
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The
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa was founded
in 1993 as a successor to the Preferential Trade Area for
Eastern and Southern Africa (PTA),which was established in
1981. COMESA formally succeeded the PTA on 8 December 1994.
The establishment of COMESA was a fulfilment of the requirements
of the PTA Treaty, which provided for the transformation of
the PTA into a common market ten years after the entry into
force of the PTA Treaty. More... |
Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
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The
idea for a West African community goes back to President William
Tubman of Liberia, who made the call in 1964. An agreement
was signed between Côte d'Ivoire,Guinea, Liberia and
Sierra Leone in February 1965, but this came to nothing. In
April 1972, General Gowon of Nigeria and General Eyadema of
Togo re-launched the idea, drew up proposals and toured 12
countries, soliciting their plan from July to August 1973.
A meeting was then called at Lomé from 10-15 December
1973, |
which
studied a draft treaty. This was further examined at a meeting
of experts and jurists in Accra in January 1974 and by a ministerial
meeting in Monrovia in January 1975. Finally, 15 West African
countries signed the treaty for an Economic Community of West
African States (Treaty of Lagos) on 28 May 1975. The protocols
launching ECOWAS were signed in Lomé, Togo on 5 November
1976.
In July 1993, a revised ECOWAS Treaty designed to accelerate
economic integration and to increase political co-operation,
was signed. More ... |
Intergovernmental
Authority for Development (IGAD)
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The Intergovernmental
Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD) was formed in1986
with a very narrow mandate around the issues of drought and
desertification. Since then, and especially in the 1990s, IGADD
became the accepted vehicle for regional security and political
dialogue.
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founding members of IGADD decided in the mid-1990s to revitalise
the organisation into a fully-fledged regional political,
economic, development, trade and security entity similar to
SADC and ECOWAS. It was envisaged that the new IGADD would
form the northern sector of COMESA with SADC representing
the southern sector
One of the
principal motivations for the revitalisation of IGADD was
the existence of many organisational and structural problems
that made the implementation of its goals and principles ineffective.
The IGADD Heads of State and Government met on 18 April 1995
at an Extraordinary Summit in Addis Ababa and resolved to
revitalise the Authority and expand its areas of regional
co-operation. On 21 March 1996, the Heads of State and Government
at the Second Extraordinary Summit in Nairobi approved and
adopted an Agreement Establishing the Intergovernmental Authority
on Development (IGAD)..More
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Southern
African Development Community (SADC)
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The concept
of a regional economic co-operation in Southern Africa was
first discussed at a meeting of the Frontline States foreign
ministers in May 1979 in Gaberone. The meeting led to an international
conference in Arusha, Tanzania two months later which brought
together all independent countries, with the exception of
the then Rhodesia, South West Africa and South Africa, and
international donor agencies. The Arusha conference in turn
led to the Lusaka Summit held in the Zambian capital in April
1980. After adopting the declaration, which was to become
known as ‘Southern Africa: Towards Economic Liberation’,
Sir Seretse Khama was elected the first chairman of the SADCC.
More ...
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Union
du Maghreb Arabe (UMA)
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The
first Conference of Maghreb Economic Ministers in Tunis in
1964 established the Conseil Permanent Cunsultatif du Maghreb
(CPCM) between Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, to coordinate
and harmonize the development plans of the four countries
as well as interaregional trade and relations with the EU.
However, for a number of reasons, the plans never came to
fruition. It was not until the late 1980s that new impetus
began to bring the parties together again. The first Maghreb
Summit of the |
five
Heads of State, held at Zeralda (Algeria) in June 1988, resulted
in a decision to set up the Maghreb High Commission and various
specialized commissions. Finally, on February 17, 1989 in
Marrakech, the Treaty establishing the AMU was signed by the
Heads of State of the five countries. More
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