Remarks made by the CEO of the NEPAD Agency, Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, at the 11th RCM

Last year, at the 10^th RCM, I addressed you in my capacity as the Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Secretariat. Today, I am addressing you as the Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency. The NEPAD Secretariat has now been replaced by the NEPAD Agency.

The encouraging news is that the long-delayed integration of NEPAD into the structures and processes of the African Union which started in 2003 has been finalized. A new phase in taking forward Africa’s self-designed development strategy has been opened.

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NEPAD welcomes the sub-regional dimension of the RCM. This is in conformity with Africa’s regional integration agenda. We must fully support the RECs as the building blocks of regional integration.

Similarly, we welcome the theme of this RCM. The international community must continue to support Africa in promoting a broad-based, equitable, resource-efficient and sustainable growth. Africa’s voice must be heard loud and clear in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The UN system and development partners should scale up to support for the implementation of the Environment Action Plan and Sub-Regional Environment Action Plans being championed by the African Union and NEPAD.