Addis Ababa, May 9, 2017: The Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E Kwesi Quartey welcomed the President of the Republic of Poland, H.E. Dr Andrzej Duda at the African Union Headquarters, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during which he noted that the visit marked renewed and strengthened partnership between Poland and the African Union.
While addressing the Poland delegation, the diplomatic corps, the Permanent Representatives’ Committee to the African Union and the staff of the African Union Commission, the Deputy Chairperson acknowledged the contribution of the Government and the people of Poland through their support of progammes and projects under Africa’s Agenda 2063. He invited the Government of Poland and Polish companies to expand investments in Africa, stating that the African Union was keen to unlock the prospects of cooperation with partners, to continue creating job opportunities for the youth, which would subsequently advance the socio-economic growth of the continent.
“Africa has the world’s youngest population and presents is an opportunity, if we can harness the demographic dividend of the youth through investments as well as investing in education, science and technology,” he stated. He added the need to have every African child in school, highlighting education as a key element to unlock Africa’s great potential of its people.
The Deputy Chairperson reiterated the Union’s commitment to the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) as a mean to tackle food insecurity in the continent. He underscored the need to invest in the youth and encourage them to explore the untapped opportunities in agriculture and the value chain in agri-business to curb Africa’s food security challenges. “We need to look at the potential in re-engineering agriculture, encouraging our young people to invest in agri-business as a driver of growth and as a means of addressing poverty and inequality in our continent. We appreciate that Poland supports modern agriculture and transfer of technology in a number of African countries.” he added.
The President of Poland in his remarks, lauded the African Union’s 50 years development roadmap encapsulated in Agenda 2063. He noted the vision in Agenda 2063 expresses the belief of the African People and its member states, in the potential of the continent. “We can see the potential of Africa, we are therefore developing our activities in different African countries, and we are also involved in the economic cooperation by funding developmental projects in the GoAfrica business Program. African countries account for 50 percent of the priority partners covered by Poland’s Economic cooperation development program”, the President stated.
President Dr. Duda commended efforts by the African Union to restore peace and stability in Africa, highlighting the Africa Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) as one of the mechanisms that show the commitment of Africa to finding lasting solutions to the peace and security situation in Africa.
The President’s visit to the African Union was also to rally support of the African Union as it campaigns for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. The UN Security Council will hold elections in June this year during the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Poland is competing against candidates from Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Peru, Kuwait and Netherlands.