Assembly/AU/Decl.1(XII) Page 1 DECLARATION ON DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSPORT AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE IN AFRICA Doc. Assembly/AU/9 (XII) WE, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, meeting at our Twelfth Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 1 to 3 February 2009; CONSIDERING the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community adopted in Abuja, Nigeria, in June 1991; BEARING in mind the Constitutive Act of the African Union adopted in Lomé, Togo, on 11 July 2000; CONSIDERING the Decision of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in July 2008 to organize the Twelfth Assembly of the African Union on the theme: Infrastructure Development in Africa; CONSIDERING the declarations of the various African Union Conferences of Ministers responsible for Transport and Energy, endorsed by the Executive Council; CONSIDERING the vital role of infrastructure and related services in the political and socio-economic development and the integration of the Continent, as well as in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); RECOGNIZING the need to speed up development of infrastructure as well as energy and transport services in Africa, and to put in place harmonized sector policies and programmes; WELCOMING the various initiatives on infrastructure development in Africa, including: 1. 2. 3. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD); The Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA); The Africa-European Union Infrastructure and Energy Partnerships, as defined in the New European Union Strategy for Africa; CONCERNED BY: 1. The slow pace of implementation of the NEPAD Infrastructure Short-Term Action Plan; 2. The enormity of gaps in transport and energy infrastructure in Africa and the huge financing needs of these infrastructure; 3. The high costs of energy and transport services in Africa, which are seriously affecting the competitiveness of the Continent; 4. The qualitative and quantitative shortage of energy supply;