On the second day of the African Union's annual summit, some 40 heads of state and government from across the continent honed an initiative to attract foreign investment to Africa and fine-tuned details of their pan-continental grouping.
The African Union replaced the Organisation of African Unity in
2002 and styles itself on the European Union.
Up for discussion at the summit were texts that define the AU's place on the continent and in the rest of the world, a three-year strategic plan for 2004 to 2007, and action plans for the commission's various departments.
Earlier, a row broke out among leading western experts about how best to relieve Africa's debt burden.
A top economic adviser to the UN, Jeffrey Sachs, said if richer nations continue to drag their feet, African countries should take matters into their own hands and simply refuse to pay what they owe.
However, Karl Ziegler of the London based Centre for Accountability and Debt Relief said African governments had to be put on the spot to ensure they are looking after the poorest people.
