Vol 26. No. 72 Wednesday, November 6, 2019 Pages 8, Price 2.00 NFA 23RD CONFERENCE OF THE ICSOE FOR EASTERN AFRICA AT ASMARA PALACE HOTEL 23rd Conference of the Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts for Eastern Africa officially opened yesterday, 5 November, at Asmara Palace Hotel under the theme “Leveraging New Opportunities for regional Integration in Eastern Africa”. The opening ceremony of the conference is attended by senior Government officials, officials from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), head of UN offices in Eritrea, members of the Diplomatic Corps as well as over 250 participants. Indicating that Africa in general and the Eastern Africa region in particular, have remarkable potential and capabilities to leverage and expedite regional “At this momentous peace-time, the region need a cross border Democratic Republic of Congo, and opportunities, development integration, Mr. Osman Saleh, the ‘can do’ sprit of the Eritrean answer and that enhancing regional Uganda, Tanzania, Comoros, of investment in the sectors of Minister of Foreign Affairs, said people and the government of cooperation is needed to make Madagascar and Seychelles. infrastructure, energy, regional that the Horn of Africa, after Eritrea have embarked on to regain regional growth more sustainable trade and job creation, sustainable decades of externally induced lost opportunities and attain a viable and inclusive. During the three-day meeting, development of marine resources inter-and-intra-state conflicts, has socio-economic transformation in research papers will be presented and social integration in East begun to breathe the air of hope the coming few years,” Minister Ms. Susan N. Ngongi, United including strengthening regional Africa. and togetherness and that will have Osman added. Nations Resident Coordinator cooperation, ensure sustainable significant contribution in creating in Eritrea, on her part said that development in East Africa, The conference will stay until 7 new opportunities leveraging Dr, Vera Songwe, Executive the conference attests to the keen development of regional tourism November. regional integration. Secretary of UNECA, stressed the interest of Eritrea to the regional importance of increasing regional integration and that will have Minister Osman went on to trade and implementing the African significant importance to the say that Eritrea has been engaged Continental Free Trade Area in regional cooperation and economic MEETING ON IMPLEMENTATION in implementing transformative creating equitable and balanced integration. developmental polices and projects; economies for the bright future of OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS driven by its internal capacities the youth and prosperous Africa. The Conference organized by to ensure the delivery of basic the UN Economic Commission for social services, such as health, Mr. Andrew Mold, Acting Africa is being attended by 14 East water, education, transportation Director of Economic Commission African countries including Eritrea, and livelihood, significant policy for Africa in East Africa, said that Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, South measures have been executed. cross border problems affecting Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, SEMINAR TO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL SERVICE The General Secretary of the focusing on the struggle of Eritrean establishment and role of the Governor of the Gash Barka Indicating that residents National Confederation of Eritrean workers and nation building in the Eritrean workers confederation region, Mr. Abraha Garza, have not been beneficiaries of Workers (NCEW), Mr. Tekeste new era. before independence and after as conducted meetings with the social services in general and Baire conducted seminar on 2 well as on role of the youth in the residents of the sub-zones of that of educational facilities November to the members of the At the seminar, Mr. Tekeste new era. Mogolo, Dige, Akordet and in particular, Mr. Osman 33rd round of the national service gave extensive briefing on the Mesnura on the implementation Mohammed-Ali, chairman of the Indicating that the objective and of charted out development Gash Barka Assembly, called for vision of the NCEW is to build a programs. the implementation of the internal prosperous country, Mr. Tekeste regulations that are being issued called on the youth to equip At the meetings that were by the regional assembly. themselves with the necessary conducted last week, Mr. Abraha knowledge and skill and play due Garza indicated that sustainable The participants on their part in the nation building process. effort is being exerted to enable part expressed readiness to the residents become beneficiaries strengthen participation in the The participants on their part of social services. He further implementation of the charted out said that such seminars will commended the residents for development drives and called for have significant contribution in the initiative they have been alleviating potable water supply developing their understanding and conducting to address the in the sub-zones and for additional called for its sustainability. challenges they have been facing. school class rooms. Eritrea Profile, Wednesday, November 6, 2019 Vol. 26 No. 72 2 Welcoming Remarks by H.E. Osman Saleh, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Eritrea 23rd Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts (ICSOE)-ECS Office for Eastern Africa Honorable Dr. Vera Songwe, Experts. Executive Secretary of Distinguished Delegates, UNECA, As the theme of this gathering Honorable Ministers and insinuates, Africa in general Senior Government Officials, and the Eastern Africa region in particular, have remarkable Distinguished Delegates and potential and capabilities to Invited Guests, leverage and expedite regional integration. Our sub-region - the Ladies and Gentlemen, Horn of Africa - after decades of externally induced inter-and- It gives me a great pleasure to intra-state conflicts, has begun welcome you all to the beautiful to breath2 the air of hope and city of Asmara which is often togetherness. Peace and stability, referred to as “Africa’s jewel of critical prerequisite of regional Modernity!”. integration, are new opportunities that we can leverage for regional Indeed, it is with immense integration. gratitude and honor that the people and government of Eritrea Evidently, central to the recent are hosting the 23rd Meeting of hopeful environment prevailing in the Intergovernmental Committee our region is the landmark peace of Senior Officials and Experts of deal signed by H.E. President the Economic Commission for Isaias Afwerki and H.E. P.M. Africa – Sub-Regional for Eastern Abiy Ahmed last year here in Africa. In this regard, I would like Asmara. to thank the Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa for providing The peace-dividend of this us with the opportunity to host historic event can simply be this timely and important event. attested by the consequential I would like also to recognize engagements undertaken among through roads, railways, sea- reflect on the “new opportunities the outgoing Chair of the the leaders and peoples of the ports, airports, pipelines…etc. for regional integration,” we Intergovernmental Committee sub-region in the past 15 months. NEWS will inevitably entail substantial have to be mindful of the of Experts, the Republic of The leaders of Eritrea, Ethiopia, financial and human capital, as interdependency of every single ROAD RENOVATION Rwanda, for steering ably the Somalia, Djibouti, South well as technological and energy sector and we need to create works of the 22nd Meeting of the Sudan, the Sudan and Kenya POPULAR CAMPAIGN capacities. To put in place all synergies to ensure coherence and Intergovernmental Committee of have reaffirmed their strong these inputs, we should primarily sustainability. All the thematic The residents of the commitments to work together value and mobilize our domestic areas identified in our Programme administrative areas of Abelo and realize the aspirations of resources. Africa has already of Work are topical and I hope our and Agra’e, Nakfa sub-zone, are their brotherly peoples. Indeed, drawn enough lessons from deliberations would galvanize to conducting dirt roads renovation this is what we need to capitalize falling victim to global financial unlock the shared opportunities program that have been damaged on as we envisage materializing institutions and corporate and potentials in our region. due to flooding and that have regional integration. conglomerates. been difficult for vehicles. Eritrea’s view of regional Distinguished Delegates, Published Every Distinguished Delegates, integration is guided by simple According to the residents, Published Every and doable vision; that is the objective of the program is Saturday & Wednesday The combined human and Published Every For its part, Eritrea has been building strong regional blocks. to alleviate the challenges the Wednesday & Saturday natural resources of our region Saturday & Wednesday engaged in implementing We should not be trapped in residents have been facing in are significantly enormous to transformative developmental overlapping and ambitious their daily activities due to lack transform the lives of each Acting Editor polices and projects; driven by its regional gatherings and forums. of transportation. They also Acting Editor individual person. expressed readiness to play due AmanuelActing EditorMesfun internal capacities. To ensure the Gauging our real capabilities