LIBREVILLE, November 19 (Infosplusgabon) – The Third Summit of African and Arab leaders which opened here Tuesday offers a new definition in the conduct of diplomatic relations between Africa and its international partners under the leadership of the African Union (AU).
Revived three years after its last meeting under the joint leadership of the late former Libyan leader Moummar Kadhafi, the Afro-Arab Summit has so far been dominated by bilateral deal-making.
But at the centre of the talks is a desire by the Arab leaders to tap millions of under-utilised farm acreage in Africa to boost food security.
The petro-dollar powered economies are also keen to fund major electric power and infrastructure projects, estimated to cost US$ 700 billion.
In total, Kuwaiti officials put a count of 800 major projects in Africa in need of funding.
Arab foreign ministers met earlier with their African counterparts to explore ways of accelerating the partnership through a larger common-market of Africa and the Gulf states.
There were also concerns amongst some delegates after it became clear that the security aspects of the cooperation agenda was pulled off the table.
However, AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said progress was clearly made on the security front since the direct talks opened between the two sides in 2010.
“The two sides have taken practical measures to create direct working relations between their peace and security Councils in order to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure complementarity in dealing with issues of common concern in Africa and the Arab World,” she told a ministerial session Sunday.
The list of African leaders present at the Summit shows a new enthusiasm by both sides to tap into each other’s wealth as both sides hope to push through joint economic projects to cement the partnership.
Gulf economies are emerging as top drivers of new growth in Africa. Economic dealings between African traders and their Arab counterparts has increased in recent time.
Kuwait’s Trade Minister Anas Al-Saleh said his country had already committed US$ 6.4 billion around Africa but noted that demand for investments in Africa remained huge.
Kuwait, one of the major petro-dollar powered economies, insists the commitment to revive the Afro-Arab ties was part of the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s foreign policy.
Several African leaders have signed bilateral financing deals to boost trade, education and health.
Malawian President Joyce Banda signed a health financing deal with an independent Kuwaiti charity fund to revitalize health facilities in her country while the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development also committed US$ 13.6 million to Cabo Verde to rehabilitate hospitals in the country. (With Pana).
FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/MIN/GABON 2013
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