Accra – Angolan President João Lourenço is expected to travel on Saturday to Accra, capital of Ghana, where he will participate in the 6th biannual coordination meeting between the African Union (AU) and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the Regional Mechanisms taking place this Sunday.
According to the press services of the Presidency of the Republic, the meeting will focus on assessing the progress of the continental integration agenda.
This summit event will also address the evaluation of the efficiency of policy harmonization between the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities.
It is also important to improve the coordination of the implementation of a clear division of labour and effective collaboration between the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities, the Regional Mechanisms and the Member States, based on the principle of subsidiarity, complementarity and comparative advantage.
The relationship between the RECs and the AU is governed by the Treaty of Abuja, the AU Constitutive Act and is guided by the Protocol of Relations between these sub-regional organizations, of 2008.
The RECs officially recognized by the AU are the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the East African Community (EAC).
The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Maghreb Arab Union (UAM) are also members.
In addition to these economic communities, there are several Regional Mechanisms that have a role of political regulation, such as the International Commission for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
Angola is the ongoing president of the SADC region and the ICGLR, in addition to being first vice-president of the African Union Assembly board, in the person of President João Lourenço, who in 2025 will assume the annual rotating presidency of the continental organization.
Therefore, the President of the Republic will be in Accra for a triple reason, that of representing SADC, the ICGLR and the African Union assembly board. ART/DOJ
