The NEPAD Steering Committee, the body responsible for developing and coordinating the detailed technical work of the NEPAD Agency has underscored the need for all members to contribute financially towards the Planning and Coordinating Agency.

The Committee, consisting of the personal representatives of African Heads of States and Government normally gets together about four times a year. They met in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea yesterday ahead of the African Union (AU) Summit, which will be officially opened by AU Commission Chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on June 26.

Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Agency Dr Ibrahim Mayaki reported on the outcomes of the last Steering Committee meeting held in Addis Ababa in January 2014. He briefed the Committee on the successful outcome of the Dakar Financing Summit for Africa’s Infrastructure, recently held in Dakar, and which yielded a robust action plan – The Dakar Agenda for Action (DAA), for funding and implement priority infrastructure projects. The DAA declaration speaks to how the continent’s public and private sector will partner with other development entities to ensure financing and investment for 16 key regional infrastructure projects.

Mrs Gnounka Diouf, Co- Chairperson of the NEPAD Steering Committee

Dr Mayaki also highlighted recent important achievements in a number of Programmes such as the launch of the NEPAD Focal Points Platform in Nairobi, the Agenda 2063 Strategy and the Young Professionals Programme (YPP).

Among the main challenges discussed at the meeting were issues ranging from land management, food sovereignty, and market access to rural transformation and partnerships.

Dr Abdalla Hamdok of UNECA 

Dr Abdalla Hamdok, UNECA’s Deputy Executive Secretary commended NEPAD for the commitment to Africa’s transformation agenda and assured the committee that UNECA remains committed to supporting the NEPAD Agency and the implementation of its programmes.

Members of the Steering Committee

NEPAD’s institutional development and its financial status also came up for discussion. The proposed 2015 budget was presented by Head of Finance, Mr Kossi. He said that the Agency’s recent resource mobilisation strategy had exceeded the anticipated funding proposal for 2013.

NEPAD Head of Finance Kossi Toulassi presenting the Financial Report

Representatives of AU member states, AU organs, observers, partners and the media have been arriving in Malabo ahead of heads of delegations and the AU Heads of State and Government.

Special guests of the summit are UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and Spain’s Prime Minister, Mr Mariano Rajoy Brey, along with other high level invited guests.

The AU theme this is year “Agriculture and Food Security”. NEPAD, through its Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Programme (CAADP) is an important vector is the Continent’s agriculture transformation agenda, will hold an important meeting with international NGOs and civil society associations prior to the Summit.

Committee members reading the NEPAD 2013 Annual Report

The NEPAD 2013 Annual report was also well received at the meeting. The Agency will also officially launch a publication by its African Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (ASTII) Initiative, titled the Outlook Report in Malabo.

Earlier, the Permanent Representative Committee of Ambassadors  accredited to the Africa Union met on June 20 and 21.Today and tomorrow the ordinary session of the Executive Council will meet. NEPAD has been and will be represented at these meetings.