The longstanding friendship and cooperative relationship between Ethiopia and Morocco is moving to new levels of practical cooperation, from the political to the economic sphere of partnership, with the two day state visit of King Mohammed VI of Morocco to Addis Ababa last weekend. The talks between King Mohammed VI and Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn underlined the interest of both countries to move into the realm of practical economic cooperation, making development and mutual interest the core element of bilateral relations. The practical application of the new cooperative partnership between the two countries was exemplified by the signing of a…

The 4th Afro-Arab Summit took placed in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday this week (November 23) this week under the theme: “Together for Sustainable Development and Economic Cooperation”. The Summit was preceded by the meeting of the Afro-Arab Joint Council of Ministers of Foreign on Monday, in a joint opening session with Afro-Arab Ministers of Economy, Trade and Finance.  The one-day Joint Council Meeting considered the Recommendations of the Afro-Arab Senior Officials Meeting, held last week, the Progress Report on the Implementation of the Initiatives of the Emir of Kuwait on Investment and Development announced during the 3rd Afro-Arab Summit,…

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team visited Nairobi from November 14–21 to hold discussions on the 2016 Article IV Consultation and carry out the first review of the Staff-Monitored Program. Discussions covered recent economic developments including: near-and medium-term outlook; economic risks; reforms at the Central Bank of Somalia; and policies to sustain growth and revive the financial sector. A statement issued at the end of the Mission said: “The IMF Executive Board concluded the first Article IV Consultation with Somalia since 1989 in July 2015. At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), the IMF’s Managing Director approved…

The United Nations Security Council held an open debate on Water, Peace and Security on Tuesday this week (November 22). The debate, open to non-members of the Security Council was called by Senegal, this month’s Council President. It was the first such debate the Security Council has held on this topic, and according to the concept note given by Senegal disputes over water could lead to confrontations in future in the same way that disputes over oil and land have led to conflicts in the past. The debate was intended to provide an opportunity to showcase successful experiences and mechanisms…

The twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the UNFCCC and the twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, (CMP12), or the Marrakech Climate Change Conference, opened on Monday, November 7, in Marrakech, Morocco. COP22 is also being called the “COP of Action” as it will focus on implementing the climate change agreement concluded in Paris at COP21 in 2015, and reached implementation level on November 4.  In her opening remark, Ms. Segolene Royal, the President of COP21 in Paris, underlined that, “the rapid…