Victoria Falls:Abdelkader Amara, President of the Union of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions of Africa (UCESA) and President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), articulated UCESA’s vision for economic growth that fosters opportunities, jobs, and shared prosperity during a summit in Zimbabwe.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, Amara led a UCESA delegation at the Global Summit on Inclusive Growth, Decent Work and Investment Promotion. The summit, held at the invitation of Zimbabwe’s Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) Chair Edgar Moyo, was a platform for UCESA, a key partner, to engage its member institutions including councils from Mali, Equatorial Guinea, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Morocco.

Amara emphasized the importance of decent work in development policies and called for investment to support economic transformation and value creation in Africa. He advocated for resilient, innovation-driven economies using UCESA’s reference documents, such as the African Sustainability Charter.

He also highlighted the significance of harnessing Africa’s resources, investing in skills, supporting entrepreneurship, and strengthening productive capacity to enhance employment and prosperity. Amara stressed the importance of UCESA’s role in fostering cooperation among African consultative institutions and addressing economic and social challenges.

He noted Zimbabwe’s TNF joining UCESA as a step toward strengthening cooperation in Southern Africa, particularly in social dialogue, employment, and regional integration. Amara referenced King Mohammed VI’s vision of human development, productive investment, and South-South cooperation as central to African transformation.

On the sidelines of the summit, Amara met with Zimbabwe’s Vice-President KCD Mohadi, who praised UCESA and the CESE of Morocco for their contributions to the summit’s success and the quality of their partnership with Zimbabwe’s TNF. Mohadi highlighted Morocco’s strategic expertise in sectors like industry and infrastructure, encouraging further cooperation with TNF.

Amara expressed hope for TNF to lead initiatives to strengthen ties among Southern African consultative institutions and SADC bodies, drawing on the partnership model between UCESA and CEMAC’s Parliament, to integrate social dialogue in regional strategies effectively.