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11.10.2012 Africa

First Bureau Meeting of the Second African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources Development: Ministers Meeting

By African Union Commission (AUC)
First Bureau Meeting of the Second African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources Development: Ministers MeetingFirst Bureau Meeting of the Second African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources Development: Ministers Meeting
11.10.2012 LISTEN

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, October 11, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The meeting of Senior Officials presented its report with recommendations to the Ministers at their meeting started today. The meeting was chaired by the Chairperson of the Bureau, Mrs. Sinitenesh Ejigu, Minister of Mines and Energy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and attended by Ministers from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique as well as the Ambassador of Algeria, the AUC and UNECA.

• In her opening remarks, the AU Acting Commissioner for Trade and Industry H.E. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime said that the main goal of Bureau meeting is to discuss and consider the roadmap for the establishment of the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) and come out with political guidance of the Honourable ministers on advancing the agenda for the establishment of the Centre and how best to anchor this initiative to the ongoing AU strategic planning for 2014-2018 as well as the long term AU wide strategic framework that is under development.

The African union Commission (AUC), in close collaboration with the United Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development bank (AfDB) has developed a business Plan for the establishment of the African Mineral Development Centre to support and coordinate activities for implementing the Africa Mining Vision based on the Action Plan that was adopted by the Executive Council and Assembly. The business Plan, which was endorsed by the meeting of Senior Officials, provides a clear way forward for the establishment of an AMDC. The main issues to be addressed are the legal framework, governance and institutional arrangements in order to operationalize the Centre. This will be instrumental to the achievement of the Action plan and realizing the Africa Mining Vision (AMV). The Chairperson underscored the importance of forging strong partnerships and popularizing the Africa Mining Vision so that member states can move forward with the implementation of the AMV.


The Ministerial meeting adopted the report of senior officials and agreed that a final version of the Business plan for the Third African Union Conference of ministers responsible for Mineral Resources Development should be prepared by the Bureau.

The second Bureau meeting of the Second African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources Development will be convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in June 2013.

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