Addis Ababa, 2 April 2016 (ECA)-The Economic Commission for Africa has today launched the Africa Integration Index (ARII) which is the boldest attempt to date to collect data on the impacts of regional integration. This report and its development are a product of a strong collaboration of the African Union Commission (AUC), African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
During the launch the Acting Chief Economist, Dr. Charles Lufumpa noted "the index is intended not only as a monitoring and evaluation tool but also as a dashboard for policy makers on regional integration issues and that by facilitating access to critical information on regional integration, the Index would improve the quality of policy making in Africa on regional integration."
Mrs. Fatima Haram Acyl, Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the AUC stressed the importance of using Africa's own data to measure regional integration.
Regional integration being a development priority for Africa, measuring where Africa stands on regional integration is key. The report gives an assessment of what is happening across the continent and is an important way of highlighting where the gaps are. The index aims to be an accessible, comprehensive, practical and results-oriented tool that focuses on the policy level and on-the-ground realities. It is intended to be dynamic, interactive and to improve over time as more and reliable data becomes available. To this end, the dedicated website on the index www.integrate-africa.org was also launched during the event. In the discussions, participants commended the report and made recommendations for improvements going forward.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economique Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org