AU Meeting in Egypt Calls for Action on Trade and Integration

Africa’s leaders at the 8th AU coordination meeting urged stronger trade, manufacturing, infrastructure and financing to accelerate Agenda 2063.

El Alamein, Egypt, 4 October 2026 — African leaders have called for stronger coordination, increased manufacturing capacity and accelerated investment in infrastructure to turn the continent’s integration commitments into measurable benefits for its people.

Meeting at the Eighth African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, the African Union (AU), Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs) reaffirmed their commitment to Agenda 2063 and adopted a Declaration advancing cooperation on trade, industrialization, connectivity, water and sanitation, peace and development financing.

Hosted by H.E. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt, the gathering brought together African Heads of State and Government, African Union Commission leadership, representatives of regional institutions, and senior representatives of AU institutions and partners.

A central message emerged from the discussions: continental integration requires implementation, productive capacity and effective coordination to deliver results.

El-Sisi calls for concrete projects and greater African value addition

In his opening remarks, President El-Sisi urged closer coordination among continental and regional institutions to translate shared aspirations into concrete, implementable projects.

He cited New Alamein as an example of transformation through development, investment, innovation and sustainable urban development, while calling for Africa to move from fragmented efforts towards greater integration.

The Egyptian President also emphasized the relationship between peace, economic integration and development. He highlighted sovereignty, territorial integrity, good-neighbourly relations, dialogue and respect for international law as essential principles for addressing differences, including disputes concerning borders and shared natural resources.

On economic transformation, El-Sisi called for Africa to expand manufacturing, develop integrated value chains and retain more of the value generated from its resources within the continent.

He stressed the importance of technology transfer and intra-African trade, with the private sector, investors and financial institutions contributing to these efforts.

AU Commission urges a shift from aspiration to implementation

H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, described the coordination meeting as a strategic platform for strengthening cooperation and policy coherence among the AU, RECs and RMs.

He warned that a rapidly changing geopolitical environment requires Africa to strengthen collective reflection and institutional coordination in responding to challenges affecting peace, security and socioeconomic development.

“Africa’s integration agenda must move decisively from aspiration to implementation,” he stated.

Youssouf emphasized the need for a clear division of labour based on subsidiarity, complementarity and comparative advantage. These principles seek to ensure that responsibilities are assigned appropriately, institutions reinforce one another’s work and each contributes according to its strengths.

Effective coordination is intended to reduce duplication and improve coherence in delivering continental priorities.

Ndayishimiye: a free-trade area must be backed by production

H.E. President Évariste Ndayishimiye, Chairperson of the African Union and President of Burundi, identified inadequate productive capacity, infrastructure deficits, insufficient financing, challenges involving shared water resources, insecurity and conflict as major obstacles to integration.

He stressed that establishing a continental free-trade area alone would not be sufficient. Africa must also produce, process and add value to its resources.

His intervention highlighted the practical requirements for making the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) effective: stronger manufacturing capacity, investment, technology transfer and infrastructure that connects African markets.

Interconnected roads, railways, energy networks, ports and digital infrastructure, he noted, are essential to facilitating the movement of people, goods and services.

Removing trade barriers and strengthening regional value chains

The meeting placed particular emphasis on the AfCFTA as a driver of economic integration and sustainable development.

It welcomed progress in preferential trade arrangements and called for further action to remove unjustified and unnecessary non-tariff barriers, improve trade facilitation and strengthen cross-border payment systems.

These priorities address practical obstacles that can continue to constrain commerce even where preferential trading arrangements exist. Administrative delays, payment difficulties and barriers at borders can limit businesses’ ability to reach customers across the continent.

The meeting also encouraged African enterprises, including small and medium-sized businesses, to increase investment in innovation, production and value addition.

Its emphasis on regional value chains connects trade expansion with industrial development, employment and greater participation by African producers in continental markets.

Infrastructure, aviation and digital connectivity remain priorities

Leaders reaffirmed that regional connectivity is a foundation of integration and called for accelerated investment in cross-border infrastructure and transport corridors.

They also urged the operationalization of the Single African Air Transport Market, alongside stronger digital connectivity and inclusion.

Together, these priorities seek to improve the physical and digital connections needed for trade, mobility and economic cooperation.

The meeting reaffirmed that accelerated integration remains central to Agenda 2063 and its Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan, requiring faster implementation of agreed frameworks, programmes and legal instruments.

Water cooperation and peace underpin development

On water and sanitation, the meeting called for stronger governance, accountability and monitoring to support sustainable water availability, safe sanitation and hygiene services.

It emphasized climate-resilient planning, integrated water resources management and trans-boundary cooperation, with particular attention to women, young people, schools and vulnerable communities.

The discussions also reaffirmed that peace and security are indispensable to development and integration.

Leaders recognized the role of Regional Mechanisms in Africa’s peace and security architecture and called for closer coordination with AU institutions. Preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention, early warning and early action were identified as priorities for addressing emerging threats.

Financing commitments and clearer institutional responsibilities

The meeting recognized the African Development Bank and other African financial institutions as important partners in mobilizing sustainable and innovative financing for Agenda 2063, the AfCFTA, infrastructure and industrialization.

It called for stronger partnerships to finance high-impact continental and regional programmes. Member States were also encouraged to advance ratification of the legal instruments establishing African Financial Institutions, in accordance with their constitutional and legal procedures.

On institutional coordination, the meeting requested the African Union Commission to finalize guidelines on the division of labour among the AU, RECs, RMs and Member States and report on progress to the Ninth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting.

It also welcomed a United Nations General Assembly resolution on correcting distortions in global cartographic representation, particularly those affecting Africa.

The adopted Declaration reaffirmed the participating institutions’ collective commitment to integration, sustainable development, peace and prosperity. Its practical significance will depend on coordinated follow-up: removing trade barriers, financing infrastructure, strengthening production and translating agreed responsibilities into measurable action.