10th Regional Meeting of African National Authorities Held at African Union Complex in Ethiopia

The African Union and the OPCW co-hosted the 10th Regional Meeting of National Authorities of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention in Africa at the new African Union Conference Complex in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 22 to 24 May 2012. The meeting was attended by 42 participants from 36 OPCW States Parties* together with permanent representatives and sub-regional institutions accredited to the African Union.

The opening ceremony featured an array of speakers including Mr El Ghassim Wane, AU Director for Peace and Security; Mr Leslie Gumbi, Director of the OPCW’s International Cooperation and Assistance Division; and Brigadier General Dr Charles Norbert Muzanila, Director at Tanzania’s Ministry of Defence and National Service and Chairperson of the Tanzanian National Authority. 

The meeting was officially opened by Honourable Tadesse Haile, State Minister for Industry and Chairman of Ethiopia’s National Authority, who delivered the keynote speech. 

“Besides the priority given by OPCW to Africa in supporting and fostering international cooperation in areas of peaceful uses of chemistry, the (OPCW) is also delivering significant capacity building support in the region in areas of national implementation of the Convention,” the Honourable Tadesse Haile stated. “The concerted efforts of the Organisation to respond to Africa’s needs in this regard, is highly commendable.”  

The 3-day meeting is an annual event that provides an opportunity for National Authorities to confer, network and share experiences, as well as consult with the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW on how best they can fulfil their obligations and receive the required assistance. It also serves as a forum for States Parties in the region to indicate which forms of assistance they can offer to other States Parties. 

* Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe