Mining and commodities: Africa to speak and act as one
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, March 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The African continent must strive to have one voice, and act as one on issues around mining and commodities. This was a clear point of convergence between the African Union Commission Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, and Kenya's Cabinet Secretary, in the Ministry of Mining, who doubles as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Southern and Eastern African Mineral Centre (SEAMIC), H.E. NajobBalalaEch.
The two met on Monday, 17 March 2014, at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during which they exchanged thoughts on the countless opportunities, as well as the challenges that exist around the mining sector in Africa. The Chairman of the SEAMIC Governing Council appreciated the Chairperson's recent representation at the Mining Indaba that held recently in South Africa.
H.E. Najib Balala's courtesy visit was in support of the Chairperson's call for serious strategic attention to be paid to issues of mining and commodities. He enjoined the AU to uphold the much needed continental leadership in this area. In the same light he extended an invitation to the AUC Chairperson to attend the SEAMIC's Governing Council to hold in May 2014, during which they plan to stretch beyond their sub-regions to embrace a continental agenda.
The AUC Chairperson affirmed the AU's determination to champion and attain the African Mining Vision. She committed the full support of the AUC, through the Department of Trade and Industry, in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement a five-year project aimed at contributing to the deliver the African Mining Vision.
Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma also extended invitation H.E. Najib Balala to have a SEAMIC representative to join the AU strategy team on mining and commodity exchange.
Based in Arusha, Tanzania, the Southern and Eastern African Mineral Centre (SEAMIC) is a specialized technical institution, founded in 1977 by Member States to provide knowledge and information in the mining industry.