Rwandan president Paul Kagame says the African Union could become a strong body as the European Union despite well documented hurdles.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is launching a campaign to have all countries of the ECCAS sub-regional bloc operationalize the ECCAS Preferential Tariff (known for short in French as TP/CEEAC) – one of the instruments for easing trade in the zone.

For the first time EASA is managing a technical cooperation project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the region itself. / "The region has embarked on the adoption of EU-based rules, which will facilitate not only regional integration, but also the process of keeping the rules up-to-date and in compliance with international standards."