The Government of Côte d’Ivoire, through the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, launched the annual meeting of the Regional Forum of Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) of West Africa on June 10th, in Abidjan, on the theme: “Strengthening the synergy of actions to accelerate regional integration and sustainable development in West Africa in a context of multiple challenge”.

This meeting, which was held from June 10 -11 2024, was organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Sub-Regional Office for West Africa (UNECA-SRO-WA), in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development of Côte d’Ivoire.

The objective of this Regional Forum was primarily to strengthen the partnership for sustainable development between the entities of the United Nations system represented by the ECA and the Office of the Resident Coordinator of the Ivory Coast on the one hand, and West African IGOs on the other.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Mr. Phillipe Lasmel, Director General of Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, stated that “despite the economic progress made by countries in  the sub-region, they will not be able to meet the 2030 SDGs targets”.

« It is therefore urgent to mobilize around all the levers capable of reversing this trend. In this regard, regional integration constitutes an essential lever for achieving the objectives of sustainable development and better responding to the aspirations for well-being of African populations,” says Mr. Philippe Lasmel.

For his part, the representative of the Director of the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, Mr. Amadou Diouf, affirmed that the sub-region needs concerted efforts from all stakeholders to achieve complete integration and sustainable development, as well as Agenda 2063.

According to Amadou Diouf, it is necessary to adopt an approach that allows for strengthening the synergy of interventions around four axes of convergence: i) development of rivers and basins for water management and access to energy; ii) information and data generation; iii) Financing facilities, promotion of a single currency, integrated payment systems, and strengthening of the macroeconomic framework; and iv) multisectoral and community interventions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

In a critical step towards bolstering Africa’s economic integration, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with the African Union (AU) is convening an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on 19 June 2024 in Douala, Cameroon. The meeting aims to evaluate and enhance the implementation of the Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT) Action Plan, ensuring that it aligns with the transformative goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Trade integration is recognized as an important driver for inclusive growth and economic development across Africa. Despite Africa’s substantial potential, the continent’s share in global exports remains low at around 3%, highlighting the need for increased intra-African trade and industrialization. Currently, intra-African exports and imports stand at 17.8% and 14.6% respectively, far below the levels observed in Europe and Asia.

Acknowledging this untapped potential, the AU Assembly, during its 18th Ordinary Session in January 2012, adopted the decision to establish the AfCFTA with the goal of creating a unified African market. This initiative aims to foster seamless trade in goods and services, enhance Africa’s global trade position, and drive sustainable socio-economic development.

While the AfCFTA has seen significant strides with 47 out of 54 signatories ratifying the agreement as of April 2024 and trading commencing on January 1, 2021, the BIAT Action Plan’s progress has been limited.

The Douala EGM at Krystal Palace Hotel will serve as a veritable platform to review the draft report titled “Framework for Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT), Ten-Years After: Progress, Implementation Challenges, and Implications for the AfCFTA.” The meeting will gather insights from experts, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and other stakeholders to enrich the report’s content, enhance its analytical soundness, and ensure the robustness of its data and recommendations.

BIAT identified seven pivotal clusters: Trade Policy, Trade Facilitation, Productive Capacity, Trade-Related Infrastructure, Trade Finance, Trade Information, and Factor Market Integration focusing on integrating intra-African trade into national strategies, involving the private sector in policymaking, enhancing food products and services, simplifying trade regulations, reducing transit times, optimizing border posts, and integrating border management. Despite significant progress in implementing the AfCFTA, BIAT remains limited, with little information available on its domestication and implementation at regional and national levels.

The meeting will convene participants from the RECs, the African Union Commission, the AfCFTA Secretariat, the African Development Bank (AfDB), Afreximbank, representatives from academia and the private sector.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

World Health Organization (WHO) in the African Region today released groundbreaking new guidance to help strengthen efforts to address the growing threat of sickle cell disease in the region.

Significant for their integrated and holistic approach, the new technical documents offer detailed, actionable strategies and insights to support countries to improve quality of care, make treatment more accessible and boost overall health outcomes.

Despite notable advances in sickle cell disease treatment globally, including newborn screening, hydroxyurea therapy, gene therapy, improved management strategies and expanded immunization programmes that have reduced mortality rates in higher-income countries, significant challenges remain in ensuring equitable access to these treatments in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in the African region.

An estimated 240 000 children on the continent are born with sickle cell disease annually, up to 80% of whom will die from severe infections or acute chest syndrome before age five – the highest sickle cell disease-related childhood death rate worldwide.

“As we continue the fight against sickle cell disease, we are confident that this guidance for countries will serve as a valuable new addition to their toolkit, specifically because the guidance is tailored to the African reality, where a multi-faceted approach is key,” said Dr Benido Impouma, Director, Universal Health Coverage/Communicable&Noncommunicable Diseases Programme at WHO Africa.

The new WHO Africa guidance documents, entitled Guidance Framework for Sickle Cell Disease Management and Harmonized Guide for Sickle Cell Disease Management in Africa, provide countries with strategic guidance for policies, comprehensive care plans and advocacy efforts.

Together, these documents form the WHO SICKLE Package of Interventions for Sickle Cell Disease Management. The SICKLE package aims to provide a holistic and integrated approach to managing sickle cell disease, ensuring access to necessary interventions, promoting education and advocacy, enhancing the quality of care, and empowering patients and communities.

Developed with financial support from the Government of Monaco, and other partners, the package reflects a combination of the latest research, best practices and innovative approaches to sickle cell disease management, making them essential tools for health care providers, policymakers and advocates alike.

WHO Africa has been at the forefront of the fight against sickle cell disease since 2010, focusing its efforts on, among other things, disease interventions and their scale-up, and access to innovative treatment technologies and medicines.

Progress to date includes the adoption by several countries  of accurate and inexpensive point-of-care screening, together with the use of Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound screening. The availability in 11 countries of hydroxyurea, a medication that is extremely effective in preventing episodes of pain, consequently reducing visits to health care centres, is also significant.

Despite the advances, major challenges persist. These range from limited health care infrastructure, lack of awareness and education and inadequate access to comprehensive care, limited newborn screening, poor research and development, and restricted access to advanced treatments.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

As countries across Africa continue addressing their respective energy challenges, requiring diverse solutions for unique situations, GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE: GEV) (www.GEVernova.com) remains committed to keep electrifying and decarbonizing the continent and will be a lead sponsor of the Africa Energy Forum (www.Africa-Energy-Forum.com) taking place in Barcelona, Spain from June 25 – 28, under the theme Energy Systems of the Future – Balancing Africa’s Needs with Global Goals. The event brings together the continent’s key stakeholders, investors, and future leaders, covering vital areas such as project developments, technology innovations, and cross-sector opportunities and collaborations.

A recent report (https://apo-opa.co/4cpI3DJ) reveals that about 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa – up to 50% of the region’s population – do not have access to electricity. Moreover, power demand is forecasted to grow further by about 3% in 2024, emphasizing the need to balance energy transition aspirations with electricity availability. GE Vernova’s team of industry experts plan to exchange ideas on and share best practices to accelerate the path to more reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for the continent at several sessions at the Africa Energy Forum, including: Tackling Grid Challenges to Improve Energy Systems; The African Gas Conundrum: Is it a Transitional Enabler or Not?; Investing in Senegal: A World Class Energy Partner; and Leveraging New Technologies to Lower Emissions and Promote Balance Across Energy.

Joseph Anis, President&CEO of Europe, Middle East&Africa for Gas Power at GE Vernova says: “Progress is indelibly linked to uninterrupted power supply in modern society. Investing in reliable and affordable electricity generation is as critical as advancing lower carbon power to support health, connectivity, safety, security, and improved quality of life. Accelerating Africa’s energy transition efforts will require cross-sector collaboration among the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors; the strategic deployment of multiple energy sources, including renewables and gas power; and investments in the grid together with software solutions. These steps can enable substantive reductions in emissions quickly and at scale, while advancing the technologies for low or near-zero carbon power generation and helping to meet the continent’s growing energy needs.”

GE Vernova spun-off from GE (NYSE: GE) and began trading as an independent company on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on April 2, 2024. With approximately 55,000 wind turbines and 7,000 gas turbines globally, the company’s technology base helps generate about 25% of the world’s electricity and has a meaningful role to play in the energy transition. In Africa, GE Vernova-built technologies comprise up to 40% of installed power generation capacity. The company serves up to 260 customers across the continent and has a legacy of over 120 years of presence in Africa, supporting the development of critical infrastructure. It works across the electricity value chain on the continent, from generation through various power sources including wind, hydro, gas, and more, to providing transmission, distribution, and software solutions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GE.

Media Contact: 
Abeer Masood
Communications Director – Middle East&Africa
GE Vernova
+971 55 945 0118
abeer.masood@ge.com

Join the Conversation:
Follow #GEVernovaAtAEF and around the region on LinkedIn (https://apo-opa.co/3zbFiaL).

About GE Vernova:
GE Vernova (NYSE: GEV) is purpose-built global energy company that includes Power, Wind, and Electrification segments and is supported by its accelerator businesses. Building on over 130 years of experience tackling the world’s challenges, GE Vernova is uniquely positioned to help lead the energy transition by continuing to electrify the world while simultaneously working to decarbonize it. GE Vernova helps customers power economies and deliver electricity that is vital to health, safety, security, and improved quality of life. GE Vernova is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., with approximately 75,000 employees across 100+ countries around the world. Supported by the Company’s purpose, The Energy to Change the World, GE Vernova technology helps deliver a more affordable, reliable, sustainable, and secure energy future.

GE Vernova’s mission is embedded in its name – it retains its legacy, “GEV,” as an enduring and hard-earned badge of quality and ingenuity. “Ver” / “verde” signal Earth’s verdant and lush ecosystems. “Nova,” from the Latin “novus,” nods to a new, innovative era of lower carbon energy. Supported by the Company Purpose, The Energy to Change the World, GE Vernova will help deliver a more affordable, reliable, sustainable, and secure energy future. Learn more: GE Vernova (www.GEVernova.com) and LinkedIn (https://apo-opa.co/4ewWN5q).

Hear From GE Vernova’s Experts: 
GE Vernova’s team of industry leaders will be available to talk about the future of energy and how we can supply more reliable, affordable, and sustainable power in the context of growing electricity needs, to keep powering Africa forward. If you wish to arrange an interview on the following topics with the leaders noted below, please reach out to Abeer Masood (Abeer.Masood@ge.com):

The future of energy and the role of gas power generation in Africa’s energy transition: Joseph Anis, President&CEO, Europe, Middle East&Africa, Gas Power at GE Vernova; Kenneth Oyakhire, MD&CEO Services, Sub-Saharan Africa, Gas Power at GE Vernova
Developing the grid of the future in Africa: Bernard Dagher, Chief Strategy&Growth Officer, Middle East&Africa, Grid Solutions at GE Vernova
Innovations in gas power – pre and post combustion solutions (low carbon fuels, hydrogen, carbon capture, etc.): Otmane Benamar, Chief Technology Officer, Europe, Middle East&Africa, Gas Power at GE Vernova