The Chairman of the AU Commission (AUC), Dr Jeaa Ping recently said that arrangements had been concluded to improve trade between African countries from the current 10 per cent to a higher level.

Ping said this in Addis Ababa at the opening session of the 19th Summit of African Heads of State and Government.

He stressed that while trade between African countries remained at 10 per cent, countries from other continents had attained more than 30 per cent trade improvement among the states.

Ping said that the Commission was working toward correcting the perceptible anomalies, while reviewing the implementation of previous agreements to improve Africa’s economic growth and development.

“For Africa to develop there is a need to strengthen her trade with other continents. It is also imperative to improve maritime transportation and agricultural development,’’ he said.

Ping, however, said that in the last six months, the AUC had initiated an agenda for Africa’s educational development through the new Pan AfricanUniversity, which would commence its academic session in September in five centres located across the continent’s five regions.

He said that the Commission was making efforts to ensure the sustainability of the university and its programmes.

Ping said that the priority focus of the AUC was also on areas such as capacity building, resource mobilisation, infrastructure and transport sector.

He said that the Commission had also strengthened its partnership with development partners such as the G8, G20 and Rio+20, among others, as part of its efforts to fast-track the development of the continent.

On peace and security, Ping said that the Commission had initiated some conflict prevention strategies via the AU Border Programme, as issues relating to national boundaries had been a major source of conflicts between African countries.

Ping commended ECOWAS for its efforts in restoring peace and security in Mali and Guinea Bissau and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for its role in managing the crisis in Madagascar.

He pledged that the AUC would continue to work with all member states in efforts to strengthen their democratic process.

The AUC chief said that the Commission would also collaborate with member states in sustained efforts to fight organised crime, drug and human trafficking and in efforts aimed at eradicating conflicts.

“We need to translate the dreams of our founding fathers into reality; we also have to meet the aspirations of Africans, especially our youths,’’ Ping said.

Ping condoled with the government and people of Nigeria over the recent fuel tanker accident in RiversState, which claimed more than 100 lives.

Speaking, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that the UN would continue to collaborate with the AU in fighting piracy and restoring peace in Guinea Bissau, as well as in curbing trans-border crimes and other illicit activities across Africa

Ban, who was represented by Mr Jan Eliasson, the Deputy UN Secretary-General, said that the UN and the AU would also collaborate to develop a strategy that would address the crises between the Republics of Sudan and South Sudan, as well as the crisis in Mali with the aim of restoring the country’s territorial integrity.

He noted that more than 18 million people were in need of assistance in the Sahel region, while more than one million children in the region were ravaged by hunger and famine.

Ban, therefore, urged the two organisations to collaborate and solve some of the problems affecting the African continent.

In his address, President Boni Yayi of Benin, who is the AU Chairman, said that the summit would adopt an agenda for the work programme, while adopting the 2012 budget of the AUC.

He also said that it would consider the report of the ad-hoc committee on the election of the key AUC officers, adding that it would also appoint three judges for the Africa Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

He noted that the summit’s theme — “Boosting Intra-Africa Trade’’ – was apt and pertinent.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Goodluck Jonathan was represented at the summit by Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

NAN further reports that Dr Aisha Abdullahi, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Republic of Guinea, is contesting for the post of Commissioner for Political Affairs in the AUC.