Africa-Arab summit commits to economic ties

President Paul Kagame was yesterday among leaders who attended the opening of the Third Africa-Arab Summit in Kuwait, which is discussing economic development in the two regions.Pledging $1 billion of investment to Africa with particular emphasis on infrastructure, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, committed to strengthening economic cooperation between the two regions.“This Summit reflects our awareness of the importance of economic cooperation. Our strategic partnership can only be realised by work, integration and friendship,” Sheikh al-Sabah said.Speaking on behalf of the African Union, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the AU Commission chairperson, defined the summit as one of the initiatives that will ensure Africa’s prosperity.“As Africa celebrates its Golden Jubilee, we are determined to bequeath to the next generations a continent that is integrated, peaceful and prosperous.“We are determined to make the positive trajectory that we are currently on irreversible and to build an Africa that takes its rightful place,” she said.Dr Dlamini-Zuma reminded participants that Africa’s opportunities outnumber its challenges. “Africa is a new growth pole, where returns on investments in virtually every sector, from infrastructure to ICT, and from retail, health to manufacturing, are higher than any other part of the world,” she said.President Kagame ended the first day of the Third Africa Arab summit with bilateral meetings with President Sasou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo and a multilateral meeting with President Kenyatta of Kenya, Dr Dlamini-Zuma, Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalign of Ethiopia, and Uganda’s Foreign minister Sam Kutesa.The Summit, which is taking place in Kuwait City, will close today with the adoption of the Kuwait Declaration.

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Africa-Arab summit commits to economic ties