Heads of State and Government laud NEPAD’s achievements in last six months

"

Partcipants of the NEPAD HSGOC Meeting in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 15, 2012 -   African leaders who make up the membership of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee - HSGOC- have held their annual special session in the Ethiopian Capital Addis Ababa ahead of the 19th AU Summit. The HSGOC provides leadership to the NEPAD process and sets policies, priorities and the programmes of action.

The meeting was chaired by newly elected Senegalese President Macky Sall, who said that there was need to hasten the implementation of the NEPAD programme, as the Agency goes into its second decade. President Sall said NEPAD had inadequate financial means to fulfill its mandate.

NEPAD Chief Executive Officer Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki presented a progress report on the work of the Agency from January until June. He also gave a report back on Africa’s participation in the Post-Busan Global partnership on aid effectiveness and the G20 meetings, where leaders committed to support growth and foster development in Africa.

Dr Mayaki also emphasised NEPAD's critical partnership with development agencies such United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA and UNAIDS and highlighted planned strategies for resource mobilization.

“I am pleased to report that the policy study on domestic financing has started in earnest. A full report on the findings of the joint study by the NEPAD Agency and UNECA will be presented to the next NEPAD Summit in January 2013. We are considering potential innovative domestic sources such as private public partnerships, diaspora bonds, sovereign wealth, broadening the tax base to fund NEPAD regional projects, “said Dr Mayaki.

The HSGOC currently has twenty members, and the Addis meeting was attended by more than 10 presidents and Heads of Government, as well as foreign ministers, diplomats and heads of development partner Agencies.

“For a long time, the label of the black continent has stuck with us. It is up to us to renew that label in word and in action, and NEPAD, which is not an easy act to follow, is key to playing a role in changing the way Africa is perceived, through its support to developmental programmes,” said Tom Thabane, Lesotho’s Prime Minister.

President Jacob Zuma of South Africa commended the great strides achieved by NEPAD in the last decade and noted the successes scored under the leadership of Dr Mayaki. He made reference to the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa PIDA, a developmental initiative being led by African Union Commission (AUC) to support infrastructural growth and poverty reduction.

And Jean Ping, the current chair of the AUC said NEPAD had made it possible to make an extra push for African integration. He praised the Colloquium which was held in March, which showcased the activities and achievements of NEPAD in the last ten years.

The meeting was also addressed by former Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings, whose clarion call was on good and clean governance and accountability.

Earlier in the day, Dr Mayaki participated in the Africa Peer Review Mechanism APRM meeting. The APRM, a mutually agreed programme, voluntarily adopted by the member states of the African Union, to promote and re-enforce democratic practice will be marking its 10th anniversary in 2013 and Dr Mayaki said this milestone presents an opportunity to celebrate its achievements.

Today, the 19th Ordinary Session of heads of state and government of the African Union will meet under the theme “boosting intra-African Trade. Elections will also be held for the chairperson of the African Union Commission as well as for other commissioners. Current chair Jean Ping will be running against South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Dr Nkosizana Dlamaini-Zuma. Another topic to come up for consideration is the report of New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to be presented by President Macky Sal of Senegal and deputy chairperson of the NEPAD heads of state and government Orientation Committee.