The New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) said Monday it would work with member countries of the African Union (AU) to strengthen business relations on the continent.

Goodie Ibru, coordinator of the NEPAD Business Group, told reporters in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, "NEPAD is embarking on a program to sensitize and mobilize various private sector groups across state borders of Africa to trade more with one another in goods and services."

He said NEPAD was carrying out feasibility studies on building railway and highway networks across the entire Africa aiming at eliminating barriers to movement of goods and persons.

The NEPAD Business Group, the official added, would begin a quarterly forum from next year for the AU member countries to share experience and come up with projects for business links relevant to enhancing opportunities for Africa in the globalization era.

He pointed out that without such physical links, Africa would continue to trail behind the rest of the world in development as other regional bodies like the European Union had perfected a system of integration.

Ibru said the organization was established by the summit of theAU to enhance the quality of life of the people and alleviate poverty ravaging the continent, stressing "development is more likely to come to Africa from the cooperation of members rather than the external institutions and agencies."

Source: Xinhua