DECISION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW
PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT (NEPAD)
The Assembly:
1. WE, the Heads of State and Government of Member States of the African Union, meeting at the 3rd Ordinary Session of our Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 6 to 8 July 2004;
2. RECALLING our decision regarding the then New African Initiative, now the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), taken at the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity in July 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia (AHG/Decl. 1 (XXXVII);
3. RECALLING FURTHER our decisions on the Implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) taken at the Inaugural Session of the African Union Assembly in Durban, South Africa from 8 to 10 July 2002 (Assembly/AU/Decl.l(l), and at the 2nd Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in Maputo, Mozambique from 10 to 12 July 2003 (Assembly/AU/Decl.8(II));
4. NOTING WITH APPRECIATION the Progress Report presented to us by the Chairperson of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC), H.E. President O. Obasanjo of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, describing the developments in the NEPAD programmes and activities since our last meeting in July 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique;
Progress Report
5. ENDORSE the Progress Report and COMMEND the HSGIC and its supporting structures for their coordination and catalytic role in facilitating the implementation of NEPAD priority programmes and projects across the African regions and more specifically through cooperation and collaboration with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs);
6. MANDATE the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee of NEPAD, supported by the NEPAD Steering Committee and the NEPAD Secretariat, to continue their vital work of ensuring the implementation of NEPAD programmes;
7. URGE that the programmes identified in each priority area be urgently implemented and that each region and Member State, through the RECs, provide assistance and financial support in the further development and implementation of these programmes and in the continued popularization of NEPAD amongst all sectors of society on the African continent;
Programme Implementation
8. NOTE the progress made in the implementation of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), in particular:
• The Multi-country Agricultural Productivity Programme (MAPP), for which the World Bank has committed to supporting by providing US$500 million,
• The development of a tracking mechanism to monitor the commitment by African governments to allocate 10% of national budgets to agriculture.
• The FAO is providing funding to 49 countries for medium-term investment programmes to fast-track the implementation of CAADP,
• A CAADP companion on forestry, fisheries and livestock is being developed, as well as a nutrition programme,
• The review on the Food Reserve System has commenced.
9. FURTHER NOTED the progress made in the implementation of the short term action plan for infrastructure (STAP), particularly the fact that:
• The African Development Bank (ADB) has approved financing for 9 investment projects amounting to US$580 million;
• The World Bank has approved financing for STAP projects amounting to US$570 million;
• The fibre-optic submarine cable on the East Coast of Africa, and the e- Schools projects have reached advanced levels of implementation.
African Peer Review Mechanism
10. NOTE the significant progress that has been achieved in implementing the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), particularly the fact that nineteen member states have now acceded to the APRM and another three have expressed interest in joining, and the fact that the country review process has started in Ghana and Rwanda and will shortly commence in Mauritius and Kenya;
11. CALL on all member states that have not yet done so to acceded to the APRM;
Development of Priority Sector Strategies
12. NOTE WITH APPRECIATION the work done to develop the Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy and MANDATE AU Commission and the NEPAD Secretariat to work closely with partners, in particular the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction, the World Bank, the UNDP, and UNEP and other international organizations to develop a programme of work in this regard that will enable member states to use the strategy as a framework for integrating disaster risk reduction into national development processes;
13. ENDORSE the Tourism Action Plan developed by the NEPAD Secretariat and adopted by the African Ministers of Tourism and the Executive Council;
14. CALL on African Ministers of Tourism to form a Steering Committee of Ministers of Tourism to guide the AU Commission and the NEPAD Secretariat, as well as RECs and Member States in the implementation of the Tourism Action Plan;
15. WELCOME the African Productive Capacity Initiative (APCI) and the African Productive Capacity Facility (APCF) adopted by the 16 th Conference of African Ministers of Industry and CALL ON the AU Commission and the NEPAD Secretariat, with the support of development partners, particularly UNIDO, to assist member states in the implementation of the strategy;
16. FURTHER WELCOME the development of a NEPAD Science and Technology strategy by the African Ministers of Science and Technology;
17. CONGRATULATE UNESCO for the work that has been done in support of the Human Resource Development aspects of the NEPAD programme;
Millennium Development Goals
18. NOTE that, at current rates of development, many African countries are unlikely to meet the Millennium Development Goals due to lack of resource flows and, therefore, RESOLVE to undertake the necessary measures to enhance the development of expanded and integrated national development plans and related policies, as well as fast-track the adoption of NEPAD programmes, including reforms and increased investments in key areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, health, human resource development and education, as a means towards achieving the MDGs;
19. NOTE FURTHER the centrality of Agriculture in Africa’s Development and the multiple constraints associated with this sector, AND REAFFIRM our commitment and determination to raise food production, reduce hunger and transform rural Africa by way of developing and launching Africa’s Green Revolution;
20. WELCOME the support provided by international partners and CALL UPON the international community to significantly scale up support and resources to member states and RECs in efforts aimed at achieving the MDGs within the framework of national development programmes;
21. FURTHERMORE CALL ON all international partners to honour their
expressed commitments to supporting African development by significantly increasing their contributions under the IDA-14
replenishment process, providing grants as opposed to loans and granting accelerated and scaled-up debt relief; similarly the ADE is called upon to provide financial support to NEPAD programmes;
Integration of NEPAD into AU Structures and processes
22. FINALLY, WELCOME the Report presented by the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union and MANDATE the Chairperson to continue, in consultation with the Chairperson of the HSGIC, to operationalise the Decision taken at our last Summit in Maputo relating to the integration of NEPAD into AU structures and processes.