By Our Reporter
African leaders gathered Saturday morning at the Sandton Convention Centre in South Africa for the 33rd New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency Heads of State and Government Orientation meeting.
Welcoming the delegation to the Opening Session, South African President Jacob Zuma commended NEPAD for keeping the dreams and potential of the African continent alive.
“The continent is now reaping the benefits of responsible macro-economic management and deepening integration into the world economy. Investments in infrastructure program, regional integration and intra-African trade is Africa’s solution for sustainable growth and development,” he said.
African Union Chairperson and President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe applauded NEPAD’s breakthroughs in project conceptualization and implementation on the continent.
“NEPAD has provided critical synergies between and among African institutions, thereby enhancing a much needed continental integration. The Agency should play a lead role in capacitating Regional Economic Communities to fast-track Africa’s quest for industrialization and value addition of its vast mineral resources,” Mugabe said adding, “Surely the African people cannot continue to be hewers of wood and drawers of water, while others delight in their resources, in our resources. With unwavering courage and collective determination, Africa can also industrialize in the same manner other regions have achieved industrialization within the shortest period possible.”
Newly elected President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, was welcomed to the Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC). As a founding member of NEPAD, Nigeria emphasized its continued commitment to championing NEPAD programs and projects.
While reading a speech on behalf of President Buhari, Ambassador B.Z. Lolo, Nigeria’s Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs said, “Some of NEPAD’s achievements include commencement of work on the Trans-Saharan gas pipeline from Nigeria to Algeria as well as the Trans-Sahara Highway linking several African countries. The agency is a strategic body for Africa’s structural transformation.”
The 20- membership NEPAD HSGOC met ahead of the 25th AU Assembly, to provide leadership to the NEPAD process as well as to set policies, priorities and the programs of action.
Chair of the NEPAD HSGOC and President of Senegal, Macky Sall, underscored the achievements made by NEPAD in advancing regional integration through infrastructure and capacity development projects.
He noted the need to tackle illicit financial flows from Africa and to enhance the capacities of African member countries to negotiate mining and oil contracts for the social benefit of African people. President Sall also commended the NEPAD Spanish Fund for African Women’s Empowerment, in line with this year’s Summit theme.
NEPAD Agency Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, reported back on concrete results made for the period January to June 2015.
“We have achieved 313 results that each has had quantifiable impacts: 20 at the continental level, 30 at the regional level and 264 at the national levels. All the impacts demonstrated are geared towards the industrialization of the Continent,” he said.
Some of the key achievements Dr. Mayaki highlighted included the establishment of an Africa Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance aimed at reaching out to 25 million farmers by 2025, the launch of a Continental Business Network for Infrastructure financing in Africa, and providing access to clean water and sanitation to 9,656 women in Benin and Togo.