Ethiopia: AU shuts down NEPAD
- Posted on Tuesday 2 February 2010 - 09:30Sanday Chongo Kabange AfricaNews reporter in Lusaka, ZambiaAfrican leaders attending the 14 annual summit of the AU have approved the establishment of the Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) and dissolution of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The NPCA will act as a technical body of the African Union, replacing the South African based NEPAD secretariat.
The Agency is mandated to facilitate and coordinate the implementation of continental and regional programmes and projects as well as mobilize resources in support of their implementation.
The heads of states and government in attendance at the AU Summit have also directed NPCA to coordinate research, monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes in line with the vision and core values of the African Union.
“The 14th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union has approved the integration of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) into the structures and processes of the African Union including the establishment of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), said in a media statement.
Recently, African leaders who founded NEPAD tussled with Libyan leader Muammar al Gaddafi, over his proposal to disband a key NEPAD committee.
The Libyan leader proposed the disbandment of the Heads of State Implementing Committee, founded by Algeria, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa and leaving the NEPAD programmes entirely in the hands of the African Union.
Reactions
- Posted on Tuesday 02 February 2010 12:55Good day.
We are the NEPAD Business Foundation, the private sector leg of the NEPAD Structure. As we have very close ties with the Secretariat, we know nothing of this "dissolution". When you mention the dissolution of NEPAD but the implementation of the NPCA, you fail to mention that the "N" stands for NEPAD! Also, further in your article it clearly states that NEPAD has been absorbed into the AU structures, which has of course been in the pipeline for some time. How then can NEPAD be disbanded? NEPAD Secretariat CEO, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, has just released a press statement saying the meeting was both encouringing and successful for NEPAD. Please can you check your facts with the Secretariat before posting headlines like this. It completely undermines all the hard work we and the Secretariat are doing in line with AU goals. - Posted on Tuesday 02 February 2010 16:20This article is extremely misleading and is a figment of your imagination. Any reporter worth his salt would take the time to understand the context in which decisions are made before peddling lies and information that seeks to create confusion in the continent. In 2003, the African Heads of State decided to give the AU and NEPAD a three grace period to sort our how NEPAD could be integrated into the AU. The rational behind this decision stems from two main facts: Firstly NEPAD was launched in 2001-at a time when the then OAU was undergoing its own transformation which culminated with the establishment of the AU. Because the AU itself had to create new organs and structures such as the Peace and Security Council, the Heads of State felt that it would be too cumbersome to immediately saddle the AU with the responsibility of building NEPAD as a programme. On this basis it was agreed that NEPAD would be integrated into the AU structures and processes after a period of three years. Unfortunately this process took much longer than anticipated.
The decision to establish the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Authority (NPCA) does in no way imply dissolution of NEPAD as the socio-economic programme of the AU. In fact it is done to strengthen NEPAD. Further, the NPCA (which is the new name for the former NEPAD Secretariat) have just acquired new offices in Midrand, Johannesburg and have over the past 12 months strengthened their capacity by hiring new staff etc.
Bearing the above in mind, I would like to suggest that you check your facts and take the necessary action to correct this situation. Also please make the effort to read the full decision of the AU Assembly. - Posted on Wednesday 03 February 2010 10:57Editors' note
Thanks so much for your comment. We appreciate it so much. We refer you to the NEPAD official website which published the same information as put out by AfricaNews. This actually give credence to the fact that there were no inaccuracies in our earlier report. - Posted on Wednesday 03 February 2010 17:11Dear all,
This is to confirm - as has been alluded to by our colleagues at the NBF- that the headline 'AU shuts down NEPAD' and indeed the related text of the story do not in anyway relate to the media statements that we at the NPCA have issued out on this story. This includes the statements on our NEPAD website.
Please note that there is a big difference between NEPAD as a programme, vision and African development agenda and the actual NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (an office as in the case of the previous NEPAD Secretariat) that is mandated to co-ordinate and implement NEPAD programmes projects.
For more clarification please refer to the statement below:
African leaders strengthen NEPAD – as it transforms into an implementing Agency....
Midrand, South Africa (3 February 2010) - The 14th African Union (AU) Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 25 January – 2 February 2010, decided to strengthen the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) programme by transforming the NEPAD secretariat into an implementation Agency – the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA).
NPCA now has a clear mandate “to facilitate and coordinate the implementation of continental and regional priority programmes and projects”, according to the AU Assembly Decision No. AU/14 (XIV) of 1 February 2010.
The NPCA is also mandated ”to mobilize resources and partners in support of their implementation”, the decision stipulates.
Welcoming the AU decision, the CEO of the NPCA, Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, described the leaders’ approval as a positive move, which is in line with the overall vision and mission of the African Union.
The Assembly also endorsed the integration of NEPAD into the structures and processes of the AU and authorized the Chairperson of the African Union Commission to exercise supervisory authority over the NPCA, “whilst giving the new agency adequate and necessary flexibilities to carry out its mandate and thereby maintaining the corporate brand identity of the NEPAD Programme within the African Union.”
“This decision has strengthened NEPAD. We now have a clear and adequate mandate to focus more on project implementation in African countries,” said Dr. Mayaki.
Dr. Mayaki called on the personnel of the former NEPAD Secretariat to redouble their efforts to live up to the expectations of the African leaders, who approved the transformation from the Secretariat into a full-fledged implementing Agency.
It would be recalled that a few media outlets initially misunderstood the transformation to mean a dissolution of the NEPAD programme.
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For more information and interview requests, please contact:
Andrew Kanyegirire: +27 (0) 83 704 4506 andrewk@nepad.orgTASK
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