YAOUNDE, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) — Leaders of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) convened on Wednesday in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), to discuss ways to deepen regional integration and strengthen security.
Maxime Balalou, the CAR’s minister of communication and government spokesperson, said the 16th summit of CEMAC heads of state would focus on economic policy convergence aimed at driving sustainable growth and reducing poverty in the subregion.
“Heads of state want to make CEMAC not only a region of peace and security but also a place where states need to work in synergy to address challenges, especially economic challenges facing the region.
This is the opportunity to show that we are forever united,” Balalou told reporters on the eve of the summit. CEMAC Commission President Baltasar Engonga Edjo’o said the summit would take concrete measures to revive efforts toward a genuine common market in the region.
While free movement of citizens of CEMAC member countries is now effective, major obstacles remain, he noted.
“The first (obstacle) concerns the weakness of transport and communication infrastructure, which limits trade and increases travel costs.
The second obstacle is administrative red tape and the persistence of unjustified barriers at borders and on road corridors,” Engonga Edjo’o said in an interview published on the CEMAC website.
CEMAC covers six countries, namely Gabon, Cameroon, the CAR, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea. (Xinhua)
