African leaders agree a common position on aid, development

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Addis Ababa, 30/9/2011 – The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), members of the African Union, civil society groups, development groups and parliamentarians meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this week have for the first time agreed a common position on development effectiveness and aid reform.

This will form the basis of Africa’s negotiating position at the upcoming global meeting on aid and development in Busan, South Korea, at the end of November. The outcome of the Busan Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness will determine a future global aid agenda.

The African common position acknowledges that aid continues to play a major role in development financing, but stresses efforts by African countries to mobilise domestic resources and build capacity to reduce reliance of on foreign aid in the long run.

NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency) Chief Executive Officer, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki said: “We’re taking charge of our own destiny. For the first time, Africa has presented its own vision for aid and the future of development on the continent. Aid is just one source of finance required to meet Africa’s development needs. Aid must be used as a catalyst for development, along with innovative use of domestic resources, and the private sector playing a key role.”

Key priorities for development effectiveness outlined in the common position are:

1. The unfinished aid effectiveness agenda: Outstanding commitments by donors and African countries must be delivered. These include commitments to use country systems, eliminate aid conditionality, and improve transparency, aid predictability and mutual accountability.  
2. Building capacity for development effectiveness: Capable public and private sectors will drive the turn-around of Africa’s economy. Africa’s exit from aid dependency hinges on capacity development.
3. Regional dimensions: Regional economic communities, investments and cooperation are an essential aspect of ensuring Africa’s development goals
4. South-South cooperation: Sharing knowledge and developing solidarity with other developing countries and emerging economies is the most promising partnership approach to supporting African-owned and led development efforts.
5. Beyond aid: For long-term development sustainability, Africa has undertaken to reduce aid reliance and stimulate a strong and varied development finance base,
6. New development cooperation architecture:  Africa is committed to forging creative partnerships that will promote more inclusive, equitable and sustainable forms of development cooperation.

Looking forward to the Busan meeting, Africa is calling for an inclusive, representative, accountable and properly resourced body with strong African representation to monitor progress on what has already been agreed by donors and African partners. This should form part of a broader global monitoring effort.

Civil society representative and AFRODAD’s Policy Advisor, Fanwell Kenala Bokosi said: “Development effectiveness starts at home”.

“Aid should help build, nurture, harness and use Africa to strengthen its own systems for development,” he added  

For information:

NEPAD Agency: Andrew Kanyegirire, andrewk@nepad.org

Notes to editors:

• The African Consensus and Position on Development Effectiveness is available at www.africa-platform.org and/or www.nepad.org

• The Consensus Position was agreed at a meeting held in Addis Ababa between September 28 – 30, under the auspices of the African Union (AU). The meeting was co-organised by the AU Commission and the Nepad Agency, in partnership with UNDP and UNECA and the governments of Kenya and Ghana.

• The Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4) taking place in Busan, South Korea at the end of November, will see the gathering of some 2,000 delegates – donors, non-governmental organizations, international financial institutions, and private sector actors – to make decisions about how to make aid more effective.