President Koroma heads for Libya to attend 3rd Africa-EU Summit

Published on November 29, 2010 by Cocorioko News · No Comments

Sierra Leone’s President , Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, will join 80 other African and European leaders at the Third Africa -European Union (EU ) Summit which begins in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, today. The Summit , which will focus on the adoption of the Second Action Plan (2011-2013) of the common Africa-EU strategy, will help strengthen the ties between the two entities and promote the future of their partnership related to economic growth, development, peace and security, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and climate change. According to government sources, the theme of the Summit is ’Investment, Economic Growth and Job Creation’.

According to an EU report, “The second summit, held 2007, in Lisbon, advocated the setting up of the Africa-Europe ties on new equality basis and called on both sides to move from aid to partnership, which was symbolized by the adoption of the first common strategy to take up new challenges and opportunities on the international scale…These common challenges that must be tackled jointly during the third summit are, according to observers, poverty and its eradication, peace and security, democracy and human rights, world governance and climate change. Another challenge the African continent must pay attention to is illegal immigration, given the disasters characterised by the phenomenon, which have been ravaging young Africans seeking better future to improve their living conditions in Europe.”

The EU reported yesterday that over 50 observers from third world countries and international organizations have also been invited.

President Koroma will be accompanied by a strong delegation of government officials that includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mrs. Zainab Hawa Bangura and the Minister of Information and Communication, Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo.