The African Union is undertaking various measures including a trade observatory and Africa intra-trade fair to boost the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) , commissioner for Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission Albert M. Muchanga said. In an exclusive interview with ENA, Commissioner Muchanga said that the Africa intra-trade fair that took place last year had a transaction of over 43.5 billion USD. This demonstrates the extent to which African countries can unleash the exponential benefits from promoting intra-trade and further encourage investment in the continent. 'So when those happen it means that they are going to increase investment flows across Africa and the suppliers are going to know their customers and what they need. So these are some of the activities that we are undertaking to promote the African free trade,' he elaborated. Stating that infrastructure is the critical thing towards accelerating the implementation of AfCFTA, Muchanga pointed out t hat massive investment is needed to scale up the prevailing infrastructure. Citing the African Development Bank (AfDB)'s assessment, the Commissioner indicated that Africa needs about 170 billion USD to develop the necessary infrastructure across the continent. Furthermore, he added that capacity building of the member states is pivotal not only in building new infrastructures but also in effectively utilizing it for collective benefits. Some of African countries have been supportive of the AfCFTA efforts in building infrastructures across the continent, he emphasized. 'Here I can give an example, the railway between Ethiopia and Djibouti, then when go down south right now the US, UK and EU are teaming up to develop the Lobito Corridor, which is going to link Angola, DRC, and Zambia. And the Chinese are rehabilitating Tanzania-Zambia railway at a cost of about 1 billion USD,' Muchanag said. The AfCFTA aims to create a single market for goods and services and a liberalized market for goods and services to enhance the movement of capital and people Source: Ethiopian News Agency The first high-level Maghreb regional meeting on "Digital transformation of education for the implementation of SDG4" opened on Monday in Tunis. The two-day event is organised by the Maghreb office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in partnership with the Ministry of Education, to promote cooperation between Maghreb countries, implement the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG4) on access to quality education and launch a dialogue on digital transformation of education in the region. Attended by the Minister of Education, Mohamed Ali Boughdiri, the Minister of Education of the Libyan Government of National Unity, Musa Mohamed Almaghrif, the Minister of National Education and Reform of the Education System of Mauritania, Mokhtar Ould Dahi, and the Director General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO), Mohamed Ould Amar, this event aims to strengthen partnership in the digital transformation and promotion of education systems, in addition to the implementation of criteria for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the teaching and education sector. During this meeting, education and teaching experts from Maghreb countries will discuss digital transformation and the challenges of using modern technologies in education and teaching. A joint action plan will be developed to promote education and training. Chairing the opening session, Boughdiri underlined Tunisia's commitment to strengthening the role of education in promoting opportunities for success for all. He stressed the importance of investing in qualitative and quantitative education, which he said was the best guarantee for the integration of Maghreb people and for changing mentalities. The organisation of this meeting in partnership with UNESCO reflects Tunisia's commitment to developing cooperation with international and Maghreb countries, particularly in the field of education. Boughdiri also reiterated Tunisia's unwavering support for the Palestinian peo ple in their struggle against Zionist aggression and called on the international community to take concrete measures to put an end to this human tragedy. In a press briefing held on the sidelines of the meeting, the Minister announced that the number of schools connected to the high speed internet network will reach 4,000 next April. This initiative is part of the state's policy to promote teaching methods and encourage students to access knowledge via the Internet, he stressed. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
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