Trade and Development in Africa:

• Commission de l'Ocean Indien (Indian Ocean Commission). Organisation intergouvernementale qui réunit les Comores, la France au titre de La Réunion, Madagascar, Maurice et les Seychelles:
http://www.coi-info.org/

• Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. COMESA (as defined by its Treaty) was established 'as an organisation of free independent sovereign states which have agreed to co-operate in developing their natural and human resources for the good of all their people' and as such it has a wide-ranging series of objectives which necessarily include in its priorities the promotion of peace and security in the region.

http://www.comesa.int/

- COMESA Programme for Peace and Security is mandated to facilitate meetings of Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the region at least once every year to consider modalities for promoting peace, security and stability in the region: http://www.comesa.int/about/Folder.2005-03-01.4410/view

• East African Community. EAC is the regional intergovernmental organisation of the Republics of Kenya, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The EAC aims at widening and deepening co-operation among the partner states in, among others, political, economic and social fields for their mutual benefit: http://www.eac.int/

• Economic Community of Central African States. ECCAS was established on 18 October 1983 by the members of the Central African Customs and Economic Union ( UDEAC) and the members of the Economic Community of the Great Lakes States (CEPGL) (Burundi, Rwanda and the then Zaire) as well as Sao Tomé and Principe. Angola remained an observer until 1999, when it became a full member. ECCAS aims to achieve collective autonomy, raise the standard of living of its populations and maintain economic stability through harmonious cooperation. Its ultimate goal is to establish a Central African Common Market. ECCAS has overlapping membership with the Central African Monetary Union (CEMAC), to which Chad, CAR, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome et Principe belong. On 24 January 2003, the European Union concluded a financial agreement with ECCAS and CEMAC, conditional on ECCAS and CEMAC merging into one organization, with ECCAS taking responsibility for the peace and security of the subregion.

http://www.ceeac-eccas.org/

• Economic Community of West African States. ECOWAS is a regional group of sixteen countries, first founded in 1975. Its mission is to promote economic integration in "all fields of economic activity, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions, social and cultural matters". The ECOWAS declaration of political principles that was made in 1991 commits all Members States to democracy and the rule of law. ECOMOG is the ECOWAS Peace Monitoring Group.

http://www.ecowas.int/

• Économique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine. Les objectifs de l'UEMOA: renforcer la compétitivité des activités économiques et financières des États membres dans le cadre d’un marché ouvert et concurrentiel et d’un environnement juridique rationalisé et harmonisé (Bénin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinée Bissau, Mali, Niger, Sénégal, Togo).

http://www.uemoa.int/

• New Partnership for Africa's Development. The NEPAD strategic framework document arises from a mandate given to the five initiating Heads of State (Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa) by the African Unionto develop an integrated socio-economic development framework for Africa. The 37th Summit of the AU in July 2001 formally adopted the strategic framework document: http://www.nepad.org/

• Southern African Development Community. SADCC was formed in Lusaka, Zambia on April 1, 1980, following the adoption of the Lusaka Declaration - Southern Africa: Towards Economic Liberation. The transformation of the organization from a Coordinating Conference into a Development Community (SADC) took place on August 17, 1992 in Windhoek, Namibia when the Declaration and Treaty was signed at the Summit of Heads of State and Government thereby giving the organization a legal character The Member States are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

http://www.sadc.int/

• Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum. The SADC Parliamentary Forum is a regional organisation that brings together 12 parliaments of the southern Africa region and represents 1800 Members of Parliament. Among the Forum's critical issues of concern in the 21st century is the support of the growing democracy in the region. The forum is motivated by the fact that for many years, the peoples of the region have fought and struggled for democracy and human rights, against forces, institutions and socio-economic and political bodies that limited or completely deprived them of democracy, human rights, and civil liberties.

http://www.sadcpf.org/