Representative of DG DEVCO, Representative of DG MARE, Representative of European Commission, Director of CTA, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Your Excellencies,

Honorable Members of Parliament and

Distinguished participants

1.                At the outset, let me thank our Chair for this session, Dr Howard Sigwele from Botswana. I have been asked to speak on the subject of the “The ACP Group and the Georgetown Agreement: Vision and Objectives, Growth and Evolution, Gains and Lessons Learned”

Mr. Martin Lidegaard, Honourable  Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark,

Your Excellences; Distinguished Participants; Ladies and Gentlemen

Allow me first to thank the organisers, for inviting me in my capacity as the Secretary-General of the ACP Group of States, to participate in the WAITRO General Assembly and its 22nd Biennial Congress.

Honourable Dr Abdallah OMARI KIGODA, Minister for Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tanzania of the United Republic of Tanzania and

President of the ACP Council of Ministers; Honourable Ministers,

Your Honourable Adan Mohamed, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Industrialization and Enterprise Development, Government of Kenya,  

Excellencies ACP Ambassadors and High-Commissioners accredited to Brussels and Kenya,

Your Excellency, Alemayehu GUJO, State Minister of Ministry of Finance and Economic Development

Mr Peter GAKUNU and other Esteemed Members of the Eminent Persons' Group (EPG)

H.E. Dr Diodurus KAMALA, Chair of the Committee of Ambassadors

H.E. Ambassador Berhane Gebray, Former Secretary-General of the ACP