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JOHANNESBURG. — Africa regional integration must be re-defined to include investments in regional infrastructure, trade and labour mobility, the UN Development Programme  said yesterday.
Speaking at the eighth African Economic Conference that started Monday in Johannesburg under the theme “Regional Integration in Africa,” UNDP Africa Director Abdoulaye Mar Dieye said lack of infrastructure is negatively affecting Africa growth and international trade.

“There needs to be a much broader definition of regional economic integration.
“True, regional integration must include investments in regional infrastructure, trade and labor mobility,” Dieye said.
According to the UNDP, in most African countries, particularly the lower-income countries, infrastructure emerges as a major constraint on doing business.

The cost of addressing Africa’s infrastructure needs is around 93 billion US dollars a year, according to the World Bank.
“But countries would also gain by harmonising regulations and standards, devising common approaches to macroeconomic policy, job creation, and effective management of shared natural resources for sustainable poverty reduction and structural economic transformation,” Dieye said.

The three-day conference is bringing together government leaders, policy-makers and researchers from Africa and other parts of the world. Discussions will focus on how the continent can overcome its fragmentation and pool resources for industrialisation and productive growth.

The conference will also look at the political economy of regional integration and examine closely some of the practical solutions to advance it.

High-level dialogues will cover integration issues ranging from finance to water resource management, fiscal convergence and harmonization of social policies.

Participants will also be exposed to cutting edge research on all aspects of regional integration based on new analysis from African researchers and institutions.

At yesterday’s discussions, participants were discussing some of the trends and best practices unfolding across the continent.
“It is undeniable that regional integration will impel Africa to economic transformation and industrialisation. Capitalising on natural resources, industrialisation can swiftly add value to the continent’s exports and, therefore, stimulate job creation,” said Abdalla Hamdok, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa.

Held every year and sponsored by the African Development Bank, the ECA and the UNDP, the AEC provides a unique forum for in-depth presentations of policy-oriented research by both established academics and emerging talents from the continent. — Xinhua.