The First Ordinary Session meeting of the STC on Transport, Intercontinental and Interregional Infrastructures, Energy and Tourism will be held in Lomé, Togo from 13 to 17 March 2017.

The African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Togo, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) is organizing the first meeting of the AU Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Transport, Transcontinental and Interregional Infrastructures, Energy and Tourism which will be held in Lomé, Togo and includes the All Africa Energy Week (AAEW) and the Pan-African Investment Forum for Transport, Energy and Tourism.

The Specialized Technical Committees (STCs), which constitute an important technical organ of the AU, were established under Article 25 of the African Economic Community Treaty (the Abuja Treaty). With the transformation of the OAU into the AU, the STCs were carried over by the Constitutive Act of the African Union under Articles 14 to 16.

The STCs are expected to work in close collaboration with the various departments of the AUC so as to provide well-informed inputs in their areas of specialization to the work of the AU Executive Council. They should also, be involved in monitoring development programmes implementation by the AUC and Regional Economic Communities (RECs).

Therefore, the early operationalization of the STCs becomes imperative, given the overall objective of accelerating continental integration and the importance attached to the effective implementation of programmes and projects of the Union. To this end, the Assembly of the Union adopted The Decision: Assembly/AU/Dec.227 (XII) reconfiguring the existing STCs and created one on Transport, Intercontinental and Interregional Infrastructures, Energy and Tourism. The STC will meet on a biennial basis.

Theme and objectives of the STC 2017 meeting

The STC sessions will focus on the following theme: “Financing Infrastructure in Africa”

The overall objective of the STC meeting is to assess progress and to achieve concrete advances in the financing of major infrastructure, notably those in the Priority Action Plan of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA/PAP), through decisions and consensus on investing in the preparation, structuring, implementation and risks mitigation of climate resilient infrastructure projects.

The specific objectives are:

• Consideration and adoption of the Rules of Procedures of the STC;

• Establishment of the STC Bureau and Sub-Committees;

• Consideration of the implementation status of the Decisions and Declarations adopted at the previous ministerial conferences and African Union (AU) Assembly sessions on transport, energy and tourism;

• Evaluation of the progress made by regional and international institutions in financing the energy, transport and tourism sectors projects, notably PIDA/PAP and regional projects and other AU flagship projects under the AU Agenda 2063;

• Analyse constraints and how to strengthen national and regional capacities and to increase the participation of national and regional financial institutions in financing the development of the three sectors (domestic and regional financial resource mobilization);

• Adoption of Strategies on making Africa the Preferred Destination for Tourism under the AU Agenda 2063;

• Adoption of infrastructure programs and initiatives as well as action plans to be undertaken January 2017 up to the next STC meeting at national, regional and continental levels; and

• Adoption of a Ministerial Declaration with Recommendations drawn from experts report and Action Plans.

Expected outcomes

The expected results are: the adoption of the Rules of Procedures of the STC, establishment of the STC Bureau and Sub-Committees, a Ministerial Declaration with recommendations drawn from the Experts’ Report and sectorial Action Plans for infrastructure projects. The ministerial declaration, report and action plans arising from the deliberations of meeting shall be submitted to the Executive Council for consideration.