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The 8th African Union Coordination Meeting between the African Union (AU), Regional Economic Communities (RECs) & Regional Mechanisms (RMs) #AUMYCM opened in New Alamein, Arab Republic of Egypt, bringing together African leaders & representatives to advance coordination, integration & the implementation of the continent’s shared priorities under #Agenda2063. H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the AU Commission, @ymahmoudali, expressed profound appreciation to H.E. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the Government & people of the Arab Republic of #Egypt for hosting the meeting, & for the warm welcome, generous hospitality & excellent organisation extended to all participating delegations. The Chairperson underscored that the Annual Coordination Meeting remains a critical platform for strengthening cooperation between the AU, RECs & RMs & for harmonising efforts towards the implementation of Africa’s continental integration agenda. Against a complex & rapidly changing global geopolitical environment, the Chairperson stressed the need for Africa to deepen its collective reflection & strengthen its capacity to respond to the challenges affecting peace, security, stability & socio-economic development across the continent. Africa’s integration agenda must move decisively from aspiration to implementation, he said. The Chairperson emphasised that, while important progress has been made, institutional & operational obstacles continue to constrain regional & continental integration. The second decade of Agenda 2063 requires renewed political commitment, stronger coordination & effective implementation of the continental frameworks & instruments already adopted, & clearer division of labour between the Union, RECs & RMs is essential. Such a division must be based on solidarity, complementarity & comparative advantage, while avoiding duplication & ensuring that collective efforts are directed towards tangible results for African citizens. Mr. Youssouf also highlighted the importance of strengthening Africa’s financial architecture & mobilising predictable, sustainable & sufficient resources for the implementation of Agenda 2063. Africa cannot realise its infrastructure & development ambitions without the capacity to finance its own priorities, he said and added that strengthening continental financial institutions & transforming Africa’s financial architecture are therefore central to achieving greater economic sovereignty & advancing the continent’s development. The Chairperson stressed that Africa’s integration must also be driven by stronger intra-African trade & productive capacity. The objective cannot simply be to create a larger market. Africa must have the capacity to produce, transform and add value to its own resources. The continent possesses enormous natural resources, a large and dynamic population and significant human capital. These assets must be transformed into productive capacity, stronger African value chains, increased manufacturing, technology transfer, employment opportunities & greater intra-African trade. He also appreciated the vision of the African Continental Free Trade Area as it provides an important framework for this transformation, but said  its success will depend on the ability of Member States & regional institutions to address the infrastructure, financing, institutional & productive-capacity gaps that continue to constrain integration. Peace & stability remain fundamental to this process. The Chairperson reaffirmed the commitment of the AU Commission to working with Member States, RECs & RMs to strengthen peace & stability across the continent. Without peace, development and integration cannot be sustained, he said. The continent must therefore continue strengthening its preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention & early-warning capacities while ensuring that early warning translates into early action. In his remarks, H.E. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, @AlsisiOfficial welcomed African leaders & delegations to Egypt & stressed the importance of strengthening coordination between the AU, RECs & RMs. President El Sisi emphasised that coordination must serve a practical purpose: moving Africa from fragmented efforts towards greater integration, & from shared aspirations towards concrete, implementable projects that deliver tangible benefits to African peoples. He highlighted New Alamein as a powerful example of the transformation that can be achieved when development, investment, knowledge, innovation & sustainable urban development are placed at the centre of national and continental priorities. New Alamein, President El Sisi noted, demonstrates how a place associated with the legacy of conflict can be transformed into a platform for development, cooperation and opportunity. The Egyptian President reaffirmed the importance of respect for the sovereignty & territorial integrity of States, good-neighbourly relations, mutual respect, dialogue & consultation as essential principles for peace & stability among African countries. He stressed that differences, including those relating to borders & shared natural resources, should be addressed through dialogue, cooperation & respect for international law. President El Sisi further emphasised the close relationship between peace, economic integration & development. The stronger the economic links among African countries, the greater the opportunities to expand trade, create employment, strengthen prosperity & build a more stable future. Africa must therefore move beyond its traditional role as a supplier of raw materials. The continent must develop integrated value chains, strengthen manufacturing & productive capacity, add value to its resources within Africa, promote technology transfer & expand intra-African trade. President El Sisi also highlighted the importance of the African private sector, investors and financial institutions in driving continental integration & development. H.E. President Évariste Ndayishimiye, Chairperson of the AU & President of the Republic of #Burundi , @GeneralNeva expressed profound gratitude to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the Government and people of Egypt for the warm welcome and excellent organisation of the meeting. President Ndayishimiye commended the work of the AU Commission & its partners across the continent & stressed the importance of close cooperation between the AU, RECs & RMs. He described the Annual Coordination Meeting as the principal framework for harmonising the actions of the AU, RECs & RMs & advancing the implementation of the continental integration agenda. President Ndayishimiye identified several key obstacles to Africa’s integration, including insufficient productive capacity, infrastructure deficits, inadequate financing, challenges surrounding shared water resources & persistent insecurity and conflicts. He stressed that creating a continental free-trade area alone will not be sufficient to achieve Africa’s integration ambitions. Africa must produce in Africa, transform in Africa and add value to its resources in Africa, he said. He further emphasised that the continent’s integration must therefore be accompanied by stronger productive & manufacturing capacity, greater investment, improved infrastructure, technology transfer & increased intra-African trade. President Ndayishimiye highlighted the importance of infrastructure connecting African countries through roads, railways, energy networks, ports & digital infrastructure. Effective connectivity is essential for facilitating the movement of people, goods & services and for unlocking the full potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area. On water, he stressed that water is central to health, agriculture, energy, industry & peace. Shared water resources must be managed through wisdom, solidarity & cooperation, in the interest of African peoples & sustainable development, he added. On peace & security, President Ndayishimiye emphasised that insecurity & instability undermine every dimension of development. He called for stronger African efforts to resolve conflicts peacefully & welcomed the work of the AU-led inter-regional platform on early warning & conflict prevention. President Ndayishimiye encouraged the effective implementation of the platform’s action plan & implementation matrix & called for a decisive transition from early warning to early action. President Ndayishimiye also welcomed progress in continental economic integration, including advances in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area & steps towards strengthening Africa’s financial sovereignty. He underscored the need for predictable, sustainable & sufficient resources to enable the African Union to implement the decisions and priorities adopted by Member States. He highlighted progress in health, governance and the implementation of Agenda 2063, including the contribution of Africa CDC & the African Peer Review Mechanism. Looking ahead, President Ndayishimiye called for a clearer division of responsibilities between the AU, RECs & Member States, founded on solidarity & complementarity. The objective should be to avoid duplication, strengthen collective action and concentrate efforts on measurable results, he said. Read @ au.int/en/pressreleases/20261004/8th-mycm-... @ecowas_cedeao @jumuiya @SADC_News