Libya, NEPAD discuss proposal for strategic partnership
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Executive Director of the African Union (AU) Steering Agency for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), Nardos Bekele-Thomas, on Saturday presented a proposal for a strategic partnership project between Libya and NEPAD.
It was presented to the chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Manfi, in his capacity as a member of the NEPAD Steering Committee of Heads of State and Government.
The aim of this project is to provide technical support and advice to sectors concerned with infrastructure, education, food security, the economy and small and medium-sized enterprises.
This proposal was made during a meeting on Saturday evening in the Ghanaian capital between Mr Al-Manfi and Mrs Bekele-Thomas, according to a statement issued by the Press Office of the chairman of the Presidential Council.
According to the same source, the meeting examined the follow-up to the results of his visit to Libya last April and his meeting with the President and a number of officials on ways of activating cooperation between the two sides.
The NEPAD Agency is the development arm of the African Union (AU), which undertakes the implementation of a number of development projects and programmes in the countries of the African Union and improves the quality of education and training as well as the assimilation of modern technologies.
The chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council and current President of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU-Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia), Mohamed Al-Manfi, received the new Secretary General of the AMU, Tarek Ben Salem, at his residence in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on Saturday evening, following the decision to appoint him by chairman Mohamed Al-Manfi and the approval of the leaders of the Union's Member States.
The meeting discussed ways of activating the work of the Arab Maghreb Union and the nature of participation in the biannual coordination meeting of the AU, in addition to discussing integration between the African Union, the Arab Maghreb Union and the rest of the region's economic groups and reactivating the sectoral ministerial committees and the Union's institutions and bodies.
Al-Manfi arrived in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on Saturday to take part in the work of the 6th biannual coordination meeting between the AU, the regional economic communities and the African mechanisms, which will be held on Sunday, in the presence of the Heads of State and Government of the countries holding the presidency of the regional economic communities and the African mechanisms.
A Libyan delegation, chaired by the Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Mohamed Khalil Issa, representing the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, took part in the 45th session of the Executive Council of the AU.
The Council discussed a number of issues including development, strengthening the structures of the AU and monitoring the implementation of the Council's decisions on accelerating the integration process and strategic partnerships, according to a press release from the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
-0- PANA BY/IS/BBA/MA 21July2024
