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.

For more information and interview requests, please contact: Andrew Kanyegirire: +27 (0) 83 704 4506 andrewk@nepad.org

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