Red Sea Crisis Could Disrupt Development in Africa, Says Senior Official
(AWP) - The head of the Africa Risk Capacity Group said that the current crisis in the Red Sea could ‘disrupt’ development on the continent, but voiced hope that international initiatives could control it successfully.
“The crisis in the Red Sea affects trade and exports,” Anthony Maruping, Chairperson of Africa Risk Capacity (ARC) and former Commissioner for Economic Affairs of the African Union Commission (AUC), said in an interview with the Arab World Press (AWP).
“The crisis in the Red Sea is destabilizing, and disrupts trade and exports. We are frustrated, because businesses produce in order to sell. Now, if trade is cut, it is very frustrating,” he affirmed.
“There are a lot of crises in or near Africa that disrupt development on the African continent. We wish for them to end. We hope the international security and peace initiatives can quell them, so that we can live in peace, which allows growth and development,” added Maruping.
The Houthi group in Yemen has been targeting commercial and other ships as they transit the Red Sea, and they claim that they will deny access to cargo ships heading to Israel until the war on the Gaza Strip stops.
The United States and Britain have responded by waging air strikes against ‘military zones’ belonging to the Houthis in Sana’a and other cities in Yemen.
Maruping spoke of “Agenda 2063,” a plan described by the AUC as a future vision for the continent, launched in 2013 during celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
The review shows that countries should have incorporated the agenda more into the national plans, because they are the tools for implementation. There should also be ongoing monitoring and evaluation. Sometimes, we come with good documents and good programs, and we forget about the mandate, then we ask what happened. Nothing happened, because the action items were not incorporated into national plans. And there is always a sense that they can be implemented, but also there should be ongoing monitoring and evaluation. That is key for yielding results," he pointed out.
“I think a review of Agenda 2063 should take place during the first 10 years of the implementation plan, and then looking back at the first 10 years since Agenda 2063 started, and then looking forward another 10 years," said Maruping.