ADDIS ABABA, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Experts and policymakers on Monday emphasized the urgent need to tap into the economic and industrialization potential of special economic zones (SEZs) to spur Africa's continental integration and holistic development.

They made the call during a high-level regional conference on SEZs, organized by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat in Djibouti City, the capital of Djibouti.

African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf underscored the role of SEZs as a vital imperative to build continental resilience in a shifting global landscape.

The AUC chairperson highlighted the critical importance of SEZs, free ports, and digital platforms as essential tools to realize the major aspirations of the 55-member pan-African organization's 50-year continental development blueprint, Agenda 2063.

Djibouti's Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed called for African countries to intensify their collective efforts in promoting SEZs as well as other economic and industrial infrastructures as essential catalysts for fostering a broader regional and continental economic interconnection and development.

Mohamed also reaffirmed his country's keen resolve to Africa's integration agenda.

Wamkele Mene, secretary-general of the AfCFTA Secretariat, said that SEZs are "not just spaces," as he stressed their vital role in augmenting continental industrialization and trade.

He highlighted that, bolstered by the continental free trade agreement, SEZs can serve as critical enablers for the realization of Africa's industrialization goals, while also driving the continent's current and future comprehensive development. Enditem

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