" [1]The African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s development – NEPAD- Agency has been documenting its successes in the last decade, at various global platforms.
In October on the side-lines of the 67th UN General Assembly, NEPAD launched its latest publication Africa’s Decade of Change, collaboration between Agency, the UN’s Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and Office of the Special Advisor on Africa (OSAA).
The book outlines NEPAD’s track record which shows that without NEPAD, Africa would not have recorded some documented success such as the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), a multibillion-dollar initiative which has identified 51 priority infrastructure programmes and projects to be implemented until 2040.
Other achievements listed in the publication are the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) established in 2003. The APRM is voluntarily adopted by the member states of the African Union, to promote and re-enforce high standards of governance. Its mandate is to ensure that the policies and practices of participating countries conform to the agreed values in democracy and political governance, economic governance, corporate governance and socio-economic development.
NEPAD, conceived as an African development programme owned and led by Africans in order to bring about changes that would integrate the continent and eradicate poverty, was established in 2001. This was a period of a strong afro-pessimism linked to a harsh context of structural adjustment economic policies, which had not been very effective is reducing poverty in Africa.
More than a decade later NEPAD has achieved some successes but challenges remains.
During the launch ceremony, NEPAD CEO Dr Ibrahim Mayaki urged the need for effective Public Private Partnerships to implement Africa’s infrastructure Programmes such as the PIDA so that they in turn can become catalysts for growth and development.
The NEPAD CEO also paid tribute to the former UN Under Secretary-General Special Adviser on Africa Maged A. Abdelaziz and the former Executive Secretary UNECA , Abdoulie Janneh,for their collaboration with and support to NEPAD in putting together the Africa’s Decade of Change book, which is a reflective commemoration of NEPAD
‘’The next decade to come must be driven by renewed efforts towards increasing ownership and maximizing Africa’s own internal potential, resources and talents for the continent’s development’’ said Dr Mayaki.
