An integrated Africa remains one of the bedrocks of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) economic development program. The current volatility of the global economy has shown that Africa needs to support sustainable intra-African trade by prioritising economic policies that are inward-looking.

As we celebrate the inaugural ‘Africa Integration Day’ on 1 July 2020, the NBF commits to continue underpinning the value of an interconnected Africa into its development programmes and initiatives which focus on delivering regional infrastructure and value chains projects.  These programmes are anchored on true collaboration between business and government to achieve mutually identified objectives.

With the world returning to economic activities after the interruption caused by the coronavirus, lower global GDP will mean that Africa will have to look to its own to stimulate its economy. Cooperation amongst countries in Africa’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) must be a priority for countries to recover quickly enough to mend the socio-economic damage caused by COVID-19.