An important Forum to determine how best the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency will coordinate and manage its Programme, as it enters its second decade, has kicked off in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The inaugural NEPAD Focal Points Platform meeting, which is the culmination of months of research, data collection and consultation, will serve as a comprehensive stock-taking and consultative occasion on how to effectively coordinate the Agency’s work.

Officially launching the Platform, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Devolution and Planning, Ms Anne Waiguru, said that it was an important juncture for a review of progress made, identify challenges and present solutions and development direction. She stated the Kenyan Government’s commitment to the African Union and NEPAD Agenda.

                                               Ms Anne Waiguru, Cabinet Secretary in Kenya’s Ministry of Devolution and Planning.

Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, the CEO of NEPAD saluted the visionary leadership of the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Cabinet, and thanked the government for hosting the Focal Points Forum. He also commended the valued partnership with UNECA which has been key to the Focal Points Forum and other development support to NEPAD.

“It is fundamental for all of us to create the useful synergies between our strategic plans and the NEPAD Framework. The success of this Platform will depend on our collective synergy and resourcefulness, “said Dr Mayaki.

 Dr Mayaki making his opening remarks. Looking on Ms Lillian Mbogo-Omollo, CEO of NEPAD Kenya and Ms Anne Waiguru

The process leading to the Forum was supported by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), which supported two high level consultants. They travelled around the continent to strengthen interaction with the core implementers at national level; through a mapping exercise, they established how many countries in Africa had dedicated focal points and developed a common framework to guide them on NEPAD’s working methods and responsibilities.

Participants to the Forum consulting before the meeting.

Delegates at the two-day meeting which ends on May 27, include representatives of African Government, Regional Economic Communities, international agencies, civil society and development partners. They will use the Forum as a house-cleaning process to identify and take measures on issues that have been affecting effective coordination.

Dr Yemi Dipeolu - UNECA

Dr Yemi Dipeolu, Director of Capacity Development at UNECA called on the need to ensure that the NEPAD Agenda is properly aligned to national development plans.

The meeting is hosted by NEPAD Kenya which is situated in the Ministry of Devolution and National Planning. It serves as a coordinating secretariat for the implementation of the NEPAD priority programmes and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and is the regional coordinator of NEPAD activities in Eastern Africa.

Ambassador Fedelia Njeze, Special Representative of the Nigerian President to NEPAD and CEO of NEPAD Nigeria

It is expected to come up with a deep and broad ownership of the NEPAD Agenda; scale up the understanding and awareness of the collective progress in implementing NEPAD and overall a clear road map on how to coordinate efforts at national and regional level for more effective synergies and results.

And speaking at a press conference after the official opening Dr Mayaki told journalists that the West did not have much to tell Africans about their development. He referred to a statement by the IMF Chief Christine Largarde a few  months ago, where she said that Africa’s finances are better managed than those of Europe. “As such we need to get out of the afro-pessimist approach to Africa’s development and look at how the continent is effectively tackling its transformation, said Dr Mayaki.

Dr Mayaki flanked by Dr Yemi Dipeolu on the left, Mr Daniel Osiemo, Deputy CEO of NEPAD Kenya and UNECA’s Yinka Adeyemi