As co-president of the first meeting of Heads of State end Government and participant alongside President Sarkozy in the final Press Conference, President Biya is playing a prominent role in Nice. Curtains will descent on the Africa-France Summit in Nice today with a final Press Conference that will highlight the achievements of this historic rendez-vous. Five personalities will join the French President to answer questions from journalists that will throw more light on the importance of relations between France and the African continent. President Paul Biya who has been an active participant in the summit, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, the Secretary General of the United Nations and the President of the African Union will all join President Nicolas Sarkozy in the final press conference.

The importance of the Press conference has to do with the expected revelations emerging from the three meetings held in camera by the Heads of State and Government in the two days of the summit. Although held in camera, the themes of the high-level meetings and the principal animators of the debates were known. President Paul Biya for instance was the principal speaker after President Nicolas Sarkozy in the first meeting of Heads of State and Government concerning the role of Africa in global governance. The statue and experience of the Cameroon Head of State, his political philosophy pegged on the diplomacy of peace and his admirable leadership qualities, all place him in good stead, to the benefit of the Africa-France summit.

Press conference

Other meetings of Heads of State and Government examined the collective re-enforcement of peace and security and climate and development. The second meeting saw Presidents Zuma of South Africa, Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and Wade of Senegal as main speakers in the debates. The third meeting in camera by the Heads of State and Government will take place this morning ahead of the closing ceremony and Press Conference later in the day. The theme of today’s meeting has to do with climate and development. President Nicolas Sarkozy will introduce the debates before other speakers like the President of African Union and Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika, Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi.

As the three Co-Presidents of the debates in camera, alongside President Sarkozy, Presidents Paul Biya, Jacob Zuma and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi have all made vital contributions to the success expected to be registered by the 25th Africa-France Summit. The participation of all the three African leaders alongside President Nicolas Sarkozy in the final Press Conference has to do with their frontline role in the meetings held in camera and with their status of Co-Presidents. During the closing ceremony that comes before the Press Conference, Mme Laurence Parisot of MEDEF and Wisoman N’kuhlu, President of the international organization of employers and former Director General of NEPAD will give an account to Heads of State and Government on the conclusions of the economic workshops.

Economic Issue

The issue of the economy has been placed firmly on the table as well in the ongoing Africa-France Summit in Nice. Five workshops with Ministers of the Economy participating yesterday delved on many issues of economic interest. With more than two hundred French and African economic operators taking part in the workshops at the Palais Acropolis, the conclusions today are expected to be useful. The economic segment of the summit is geared towards stressing the important alliance for innovative development between State and private sector in the business world for both companies and corporation. In a remarkable departure from previous summits, attention is being shifted from politics into economic development. Corporate, social and environmental responsibility that is of interest to Africa was a subject of a workshop yesterday in Nice. African Trade unions also shared their experiences with their French partners in another workshop and worked towards improved legislation for the interest of workers. In the areas of renewable energy, education, health and job creation, the workshops are expected to extract commitments from French companies to engage in a charter for sustainable development.

At the opening ceremony of the Summit yesterday, President Nicolas Sarkozy said the destiny of France and Europe is inextricably linked to that of Africa. Later in the evening, the French President offered a diner in honour of Heads of delegations and their foreign Ministers at the Palais des Rois Sardes. The Nice Summit benefitted immensely from the experience and wisdom of President Paul Biya.