On Friday March 31, the CEO of the NEPAD Agency, Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, held wide-ranging discussions with former South African President, HE Mr Thabo Mbeki, at the headquarters of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation in Johannesburg. 

To many, former president Mbeki is considered one of the founding fathers of NEPAD, because while serving as President of the Republic of South Africa he championed both the African Renaissance and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development in 2001.

Dr Mayaki opened the discussions with an overview of recent developments at the NEPAD Agency, including the expanding footprint of the Agency covering 52 African countries. The CEO further elaborated on the expanding responsibilities of the Agency related to implementation, which will increase exponentially once the new AU funding arrangement comes into force.

President Mbeki and Dr Mayaki examined in detail the “Kagame Report” on the reform of the African Union, launched in January 2017 at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The deliberations between the former president and the CEO revolved around issues related to AU Reform and the implications for the African Union, the AU Commission, and the NEPAD Agency. The CEO committed to present the outcomes of this conversation with President Mbeki to the NEPAD Steering Committee at its forthcoming meeting in April 2017. President Mbeki equally will consider the implications of the proposed AU reforms with the Forum of Former Heads of State, of which he is a member.

The meeting concluded with Dr Mayaki extending a formal invitation to President Thabo Mbeki to pay a courtesy visit to the NEPAD Agency headquarters, an invitation to which the former President has agreed.

Source: NEPAD Agency