Final Declaration - Symposium on the theme "Towards a better circulation of people and goods between African countries: what mechanisms?"

Final Declaration

Wishing to give concrete substance to the Framework Convention for Co-operation signed by the ECOWAS Parliament and the Parliament of the Kingdom of Morocco on 30 October 2017, and; 

Determined to stimulate this partnership at the service of the African continent; 

The two parties organized on March 22, 2018, in Rabat, a Symposium on the theme "Towards a better circulation of people and goods between African countries: what mechanisms?"

The participants:

• Mindful that globalization is both an enormous challenge and a real opportunity for the opening of the African continent to the world and for the improvement of its economic competitiveness in the face of the multiple regional groupings that have formed around the world;

• Conscious that facilitating the movement of goods and people will only consecrate a state of fact knowing that in Africa the mixing of populations and trade has been going on for centuries;

• Convinced that Africa, cradle of humanity will, with its young population, its geographical position and its cultural influence, an indispensable lever for the development of the world economy of tomorrow;

   

   

  The participants:

  1. Consider that the successful experience of ECOWAS, which constitutes an area of ​​complementarity, is able to strengthen the competitiveness of all its members and to consolidate the economic performance of the entire African continent, which is expected to become the largest free trade zone on the planet. In this regard, they welcome the agreement signed in Kigali;

   

  2. Welcome the launch of the establishment of an African Continental Free Trade Zone, which received on 21 March 2018 the signatures of more than 40 African countries that adopted a Framework Convention for the creation of this zone and expressed their commitment to take ownership of the policies and procedures that can make this ambitious and promising African project a success, by adopting the relevant legislations;

   

  3. Express their determination to accompany, at the parliamentary level, the economic integration and the evolution of a prosperous, peaceful African area open to all Africans;

   

  4. Emphasize that the protection of the environment must be the backdrop for any African integration process and that Africa's development can only be sustainable, to ensure the well-being of future generations in Africa and to worldwide. They express, in this regard, their satisfaction with the meritorious effort of mobilization of the African parliamentary community, whose representatives gathered in Rabat on 27 October 2017, on the eve of COP 23; and adopted the “Rabat Declaration”

   

  5. Demonstrates their willingness to continue the dialogue and exchange of views to support and achieve the economic and especially human integration of the West African region and the continent as a whole;

   

  6. Support the request of the Kingdom of Morocco for membership at the Economic Community of West African States, which will undoubtedly constitute an added value for the Community and will be conducive to a mutually beneficial exchange and sharing of good practice among member countries; This will consolidate the process of economic integration of the countries of the continent and help them achieve the aspirations and ambitions of African people.

   

   

                                                            Rabat, March 22, 2018