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An Overview
of NEPAD
Origin/Mandate
Description
Objective
Structure
Relationship
Between NEPAD and the AU
Relationship
with SADC
Other Linkages
Implementation
of NEPAD
Relationship
with the CSSDCA
The Way Forward
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Origin/Mandate
The mandate for the New African Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD) had its genesis at the OAU Extraordinary
Summit held in Sirte, Libya during September 1999. The
Summit mandated President Mbeki of South Africa and
President Bouteflika of Algeria to engage Africa's creditors
on the total cancellation of Africa's external debt.
Following this, the South Summit of the Non-Aligned
Movement and the G-77, held in Havana, Cuba during April
2000, mandated President Mbeki and President Obasanjo
of Nigeria to convey the concerns of the South to the
G-8 and the Bretton Woods institutions.
Realising the correlation between the two mandates
and the fact that debt relief forms but one critical
aspect of the overall development agenda for Africa,
the OAU Summit held in Togo in July 2000 mandated the
three Presidents to engage the developed North with
a view to developing a constructive partnership for
the regeneration of the Continent. Following from this,
the three Presidents raised the issue of a partnership
with the leaders of the G-8 at their Summit in Japan
during July 2000. The work on developing NEPAD (at that
stage referred to as the Millennium Partnership for
the African Recovery Programme (MAP)) then began in
earnest and a process of engagement on a bilateral and
multilateral level was pursued.
During the 5th Extraordinary Summit of the OAU held
in Sirte, Libya from 1 to 2 March 2001, President Obasanjo
made a presentation on MAP, while President Wade of
Senegal who presented the OMEGA Plan. The work being
done by the four Presidents, i.e. Presidents Mbeki,
Obasanjo, Bouteflika and Wade, was endorsed and it was
decided that every effort should be made to integrate
all the initiatives being pursued for the recovery and
development of Africa, including the ECA's New Global
Compact with Africa. In reaching this decision, the
Summit recognised the synergy and complementarity that
existed between the various initiatives.
An integration process of the various initiatives followed,
and on 11 July 2001, NEPAD (or the New African Initiative
(NAI) as it was temporarily known at the time), was
presented to the OAU Summit of Heads of State and Government
in Lusaka, Zambia, providing the vision for Africa,
a statement of the problems facing the continent and
a Programme of Action to resolve these problems in order
to reach the vision. NEPAD was enthusiastically received
and unanimously adopted in the form of Declaration 1
(XXXVII) as Africa's principal agenda for development,
providing a holistic, comprehensive integrated strategic
framework for the socio-economic development of the
continent, within the institutional framework of the
African Union.
Description
This adoption of NEPAD is considered as one of the
most important developments of recent times for its
conception of a development programme placing Africa
at the apex of the global agenda, by:
· Creating an instrument for advancing a people-centered
sustainable development in Africa based on democratic
values;
· Being premised on recognition that Africa has
an abundance of natural resources and people who have
the capacity to be agents for change and so holds the
key to her own development; and
· Providing the common African platform from
which to engage the rest of the international community
in a dynamic partnership that holds real prospects for
creating a better life for all.
Objective
The primary objective of NEPAD is to eradicate poverty
in Africa and to place African countries both individually
and collectively on a path of sustainable growth and
development to thus halt the marginalisation of Africa
in the globalisation process. At the core of the NEPAD
process is its African ownership, which must be retained
and strongly promoted, so as to meet the legitimate
aspirations of the African peoples. While the principle
of partnership with the rest of the world is equally
vital to this process, such partnership must be based
on mutual respect, dignity, shared responsibility and
mutual accountability. The expected outcomes are:
· Economic growth and development and increased
employment;
· Reduction in poverty and inequality;
· Diversification of productive activities;
· Enhanced international competitiveness and
increased exports; and
· Increased African integration.
Structure
NEPAD is structured into three components:
· The first component provides the preconditions
for sustainable development, which are the Peace, Security,
Democracy and Political Governance Initiatives; the
Economic and Corporate Governance Initiative; and the
sub-regional and regional approaches to development.
· The second component provides the sectoral
priorities, which include bridging the infrastructure
gap; the Human Resource Development Initiative; the
Agriculture Initiative; the Environment Initiative;
the Cultural Initiative and Science and Technology Platforms.
· The third component concerns the mobilisation
of resources, referring to the Capital Flows Initiative
and the Market Access Initiative.
Relationship between NEPAD and African
Union
NEPAD is a mandated initiative of the African Union.
The NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation
Committee has to report annually to the Union Summit.
The Chair of the Union as well as the Chair of the Commission
of the Union are ex-officio members of the Implementation
Committee. The Commission of the Union is expected to
participate in Steering Committee meetings.
Relationship with SADC
The linkage between NEPAD and the SADC Regional Indicative
Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) was adopted by the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Finance at their meeting
in Blantyre on 13 September 2001, which came to the
conclusion that, in terms of relationships, SADC is
part of and feeds into NEPAD since the latter is premised
on the regional economic communities (RECs). The Ministers
recognised that NEPAD is a framework and process within
the Union, while SADC is a recognised REC of the Union.
SADC participates, therefore, in both the Union and
NEPAD. To this end, by strengthening the implementation
capacity of SADC, it was recognised that success in
NEPAD would be enhanced. It was decided that the development
of the RISDP and the SADC restructuring process should
take NEPAD into account, and where appropriate, SADC
and NEPAD programmes should be harmonised. SADC should
also take NEPAD into account in the ongoing review of
SADC programmes.
Other Linkages
NEPAD has not been constructed and come into existence
in a vacuum. Therefore, it is important that it be linked
to existing initiatives and programmes for Africa. In
providing the focal point and the overall strategic
framework for engagement NEPAD does not seek to replace
or compete with these initiatives and programmes, but
rather to consciously establish linkages and synergies
between NEPAD and existing initiatives. In this way,
all activities focused on Africa can be pursued in an
integrated and coordinated fashion within the framework
of priorities and needs identified by Africans for themselves.
A major effort is also ongoing to continuously factor
NEPAD imperatives into the outcomes of international
conferences such as the Conference on Financing for
Development (FfD), the World Summit for Sustainable
Development (WSSD) and the World Trade Organisation
(WTO), to ensure the integration of NEPAD into the multilateral
system. In a wider context, countries of the South subscribe
to the priorities outlined in NEPAD and have generally
welcomed it with words of solidarity and moral support,
as well as an appreciation for South Africa's positive
role in NEPAD.
Implementation of NEPAD
At the inaugural Heads of State and Government Implementation
Committee meeting held in Abuja on 23 October 2001,
the Heads of State and Government established a 15-member
Task Force for the implementation of NEPAD. A three
tier governing structure was accepted for NEPAD:
· Heads of State and Government Implementation
Committee
Chaired by President Obasanjo, with Presidents Wade
and Bouteflika as Vice-chairpersons, the Implementation
Committee is comprised of fifteen states (three per
OAU geographic region), including the five initiating
states, South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Senegal and
Egypt. The composition is as follows:
· North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia
· West Africa: Nigeria, Senegal, Mali
· Central Africa: Cameroon, Gabon, Sao Tome &
Principe
· East Africa: Ethiopia, Mauritius and Rwanda
· Southern Africa: South Africa, Botswana and
Mozambique
The main function of the Implementation Committee is
to set policies and priorities and the Programme of
Action. The Implementation Committee is expected to
meet three times per year. It reports annually to the
African Union Summit.
· Steering Committee
The Steering Committee is composed of the personal representatives
of the five initiating Presidents, and is tasked with
the development of the Terms of Reference for identified
programmes and projects, as well as overseeing the Secretariat.
· Secretariat
The full-time, small core staff of the Secretariat located
at the Development Bank of Southern Africa in Midrand
provides the liaison, coordination, and administrative
and logistical function for NEPAD. It is also responsible
for outsourcing of work on technical detail to lead
agencies and/or continental experts.
Five task teams were established to urgently identify
and prepare specific implementable projects and programmes.
In terms of working arrangements, South Africa is to
coordinate the Peace, Security, Democracy and Political
Governance Initiative; Nigeria the Economic and Corporate
Governance/Banking and Financial Standards/Capital Flows
Initiatives; Egypt the Market Access and Agriculture
Initiatives; Algeria the Human Resources Development
Initiative; and Senegal the Infrastructure Initiative.
In addition, the Implementation Committee decided to
develop a set of governance principles and to develop
a mechanism for peer review. Lastly, the Steering Committee
was mandated to develop a strategic plan for marketing
and communications at the national, regional, continental
and international levels.
The second meeting of the Heads of State and Government
Implementation Committee was held in Abuja on 26 March
2002. At this meeting the Implementation Committee underlined
the centrality of the commitment to peace, and requested
the Sub-Committee on Peace and Security to focus on
the following priority areas:
· Enhance capacity to conduct thorough inclusive
strategic assessments of situations in regions affected
by conflicts;
· Support efforts at developing early warning
systems at continental and regional levels, including
the development of strategic analysis and database systems;
· Support post-conflict reconstruction and development
in all affected countries, including rehabilitation
of national infrastructure, the population as well as
refugees and internally displaced persons, with a special
focus on sustainable programmes of disarmament, demobilisation
and rehabilitation;
· Support efforts to curb the illicit proliferation,
circulation and trafficking in small arms and light
weapons in Africa;
· Support efforts to promote democracy, good
governance and respect for human rights through appropriate
policy and institutional reforms; and
· Assist in resource mobilisation for the African
Union Peace Fund.
Regarding the enhancement of capacity for conflict
prevention, management and resolution in Africa, the
Heads of State and Government extended its full support
to the ongoing efforts aimed at reviewing and enhancing
the effectiveness of the African Union Central Organ
(expected to be renamed the Peace and Security Council)
including the review of its mandate, its membership,
its methods of work and funding.
It also underscored the need for greater coordination
of REC mechanisms for conflict prevention, management
and resolution; the African Union Mechanism for Conflict
Prevention, Management and Resolution and the UN Security
Council. Furthermore, the Heads of State supported the
process of the ongoing discussions and consultations
on the establishment of the Council of the Wise to complement
the efforts of the envisaged African Union Peace and
Security Council.
On Political Governance and the African Peer Review
Mechanism, the Committee considered and strongly supported
the Draft Report on Good Governance and Democracy as
well as an African Peer Review Mechanism. Essentially,
the proposals adopted seek to ensure the implementation
of objectives contained in such documents as the Constitutive
Act of the African Union, the African Charter on Human
and Peoples' Rights, the Protocol on the Establishment
of an African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and
the Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional
Changes of Government.
The African Peer Review Mechanism will enhance African
ownership of its development agenda, through a system
of self-assessment that ensures that policies of African
countries are based on best current knowledge and practices.
An effective Mechanism, designed, owned and managed
by Africans, must be credible, transparent and all-encompassing,
so as to demonstrate that African leaders are fully
aware of the responsibilities and obligations to their
peoples, and are genuinely prepared to engage and relate
to the rest of the world on the basis of integrity and
mutual respect.
This would enable the Continent to make the necessary
interventions in any situation considered to be at variance
with the principles contained in these agreed documents.
In essence this refers also to the fact that the Continent
should not be punished for reverses it might suffer
in one or another of the 54 countries in Africa. The
Steering Committee was mandated to finalise the Report
on Good Governance and Democracy for adoption at its
next meeting.
The Implementation Committee also reviewed the issue
of Economic and Corporate Governance in Africa, with
a view to promoting sound macro-economic and public
financial management and accountability among members,
while protecting the integrity of their monetary and
financial systems. This was consistent both with the
Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community,
the Constitutive Act of the African Union and the founding
document of NEPAD, which, among others, visualize the
harmonisation of economic policies among the African
countries. The Report on Good Economic and Corporate
Governance states that: "Good economic governance
would attempt to evolve well-defined structures; harmonious
and complementary fiscal, monetary, and trade policies;
coherent development strategies and programs; promotion
of a dynamic domestic private sector and establishment
of monitoring and regulatory authorities for promotion
and coordination of different economic activities".
Eight Draft Codes and Standards for Economic and Corporate
Governance for Africa and an African Peer Review Mechanism
were approved, covering such areas as monetary, financial
and fiscal policies; budget and debt management and
transparency, corporate governance, auditing and bank
supervision, while it was recommended that the technical
aspects of the Peer Review Mechanism should be conducted
by an independent, credible African institution, separate
from the political process and structures.
The Implementation Committee supported the main thrust
of the Draft Action Plans for the four priority sectors
and directed the Steering Committee to finalise these
and other Action Plans, for presentation at the next
meeting of the Committee. The presentation to the next
meeting of the Committee should also include Draft Action
Plans on Capacity-Building, Poverty Alleviation, Gender
Issues and Disaster Management.
Relationship between NEPAD and the
CSSDCA
Although there is convergence and complimentarity between
the objectives of the Conference on Security, Stability,
Development and Cooperation in Africa (CSSDCA) and NEPAD
in the context of the African Union, there are particular
areas of overlap and possible duplication that need
to be addressed. To this end the NEPAD Steering Committee,
in cooperation with the OAU Secretariat, has been directed
to submit proposals on the rationalisation of the two
initiatives to the Heads of State and Government Implementation
Committee at its next meeting in Durban on 8 July 2002.
Initially it had been suggested that CSSDCA was a framework
for the adoption of common values for the African Union
as well as benchmarks against which successes could
be measured, whilst NEPAD was an action programme for
achieving the objectives of the African Union and the
continent. As envisaged, one of the main characteristics
of the CSSDCA initiative was its provision of a mechanism
for monitoring and facilitating the implementation of
African Union decisions.
The Way Forward
A detailed NEPAD Programme of Action will be presented
to the next Summit of the G-8 in Kananaskis, Canada
in June 2002 and to the inaugural Summit of the African
Union in South Africa in July 2002. The European Community,
the World Bank, the IMF and the UN will also participate
in the Kananaskis meeting. It is expected that the decisions
taken at G-8 meeting will help further to advance the
Global Development Goals agreed at the 2000 UN Millennium
Summit, build on the recent Monterrey FfD Conference
and open the door for the success of the WSSD.
The rationale for establishing the NEPAD management
structures that have been agreed upon is to ensure capacity
for implementation. To this end the issue of capacity
building is critical to the successfully implementation
of the NEPAD process, in particular the extent to which
African countries develop commensurate capacity for
undertaking strategic NEPAD projects. The issue of capacity
building permeates through all of the priority areas,
because it underpins the success of the whole
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