AU2002: NEPAD Part 2

59. The New Partnership for Africa's Development differs in its approach and strategy from all previous plans and initiatives in support of Africa's development, although the problems to be addressed remain largely the same.

60. The New Partnership for Africa's Development is envisaged as a long-term vision of an African-owned and African-led development programme .

61. The Action Programme includes the top priorities structured in the same way as the strategy outlined and these priorities may be revised from time to time by the Heads of State Implementation Committee. The Programme covers what needs to be done in the short term, despite the wide scope of the actions to be taken.

62. Although long-term funding, is envisaged under the initiative, the projects can, however, be expedited to help eradicate poverty in Africa and place African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development and thus halt the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process.

63. Although, there are other urgent priorities, those selected here would have a catalytic effect for intervention in other priority areas in the future.

64. While growth rates are important, they are not by themselves sufficient to enable African countries achieve the goal of poverty reduction. The challenge for Africa, therefore, is to develop the capacity to sustain growth at levels required to achieve poverty reduction and sustainable development. This, in turn depends on other factors such as infrastructure, capital accumulation, human capital, institutions, structural diversification, competitiveness, health and good stewardship of the environment.

65. The objective of the New Partnership for Africa's Development is, to provide an impetus to Africa's development by bridging existing gaps in priority sectors to enable the continent catch up with developed parts of the world.

66. The new long-term vision will require massive and heavy investment to bridge existing gaps. The challenge ahead for Africa is to be able to raise the required funding under the best conditions possible. We therefore call on our development partners to assist in this endeavour.

67. Long-Term Objective

To eradicate poverty in Africa and to place African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development and thus halt the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process;
To promote the role of women in all activities.

68. Goals

To achieve and sustain an average gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of above 7 per cent per annum for the next 15 years;
To ensure that the continent achieves the agreed International Development Goals (IDGs), which are:
- To reduce the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by half between 1990 and 2015;
- To enrol all children of school age in primary schools by 2015;
- To make progress towards gender equality and empowering women by eliminating gender disparities in the enrolment in primary and secondary education by 2005;
- To reduce infant and child mortality ratios by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015;
- To reduce maternal mortality ratios by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015;
- To provide access for all who need reproductive health services by 2015;
- To implement national strategies for sustainable development by 2005, so as to reverse the loss of environmental resources by 2015.

69. The strategy has the following expected outcomes:

Economic growth and development and increased employment;
Reduction in poverty and inequality;
Diversification of productive activities, enhanced international competitiveness and increased exports;
Increased African integration.

70. Realising that unless something new and radical is done, Africa will not achieve the IDGs and the 7 per cent annual GDP growth rate, the African Heads of State propose the programme described below. The programme is anchored on key themes and is supported by detailed programmes of action.

A. Conditions for sustainable development

The Peace, Security, Democracy, and Political Governance Initiative

71. African leaders have learnt from their own experiences that peace, security, democracy, good governance, human rights and sound economic management are conditions for sustainable development. They are making a pledge to work, both individually and collectively, to promote these principles in their countries, sub-regions and the continent.

(i) Peace and Security Initiative

72. The Peace and Security Initiative consists of three elements as follows:

Promoting long-term conditions for development and security;
Building the capacity of African institutions for early warning, as well as enhancing African institutions' capacity to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts;
Institutionalising commitment to the core values of the New Partnership for Africa's Development through the leadership.

73. Long-term conditions for ensuring peace and security in Africa require policy measures to address the political and social vulnerabilities on which conflict is premised. These are dealt with by the Political and Economic Governance Initiatives, the Capital Flows and Market Access Initiatives and the Human Development Initiative.

74. Efforts to build Africa's capacity to manage all aspects of conflict must focus on the means necessary to strengthen existing regional and sub-regional institutions, especially in four key areas:

Prevention, management and resolution of conflict;
Peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace enforcement;
Post-conflict reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction;
Combating the illicit proliferation of small arms, light weapons and landmines.

75. The leadership of the New Partnership for Africa's Development will consider, within six months of its establishment, setting out detailed and costed measures required in each of the four areas above. The exercise will also include actions required of partners, and the nature and sources of financing such activities.

76. The envisaged Heads of State Forum will serve as a platform for the New Partnership for Africa's Development leadership to seek to enhance the capacity of African institutions to promote peace and security on the continent, to share experience and to mobilise collective action. The Forum will ensure that the principles and commitments implicit in the initiative are fulfilled.

77. Aware of that requirement, Africans must make all efforts to find a lasting solution to existing conflicts; strengthen their internal security and promote peace among the countries.

78. At the Lusaka Summit, the African Union decided to take drastic measures in reviving the organs responsible for conflict prevention and resolution.

(ii) Democracy and Political Governance Initiative

79. It is now generally acknowledged that development is impossible in the absence of true democracy, respect for human rights, peace and good governance. With the New Partnership for Africa's Development, Africa undertakes to respect the global standards of democracy, which core components include political pluralism, allowing for the existence of several political parties and workers' unions, fair, open, free and democratic elections periodically organised to enable the populace choose their leaders freely.

80. The purpose of the Democracy and Governance Initiative is to contribute to strengthening the political and administrative framework of participating countries, in line with the principles of democracy, transparency, accountability, integrity, respect for human rights and promotion of the rule of law. It is strengthened by and supports the Economic Governance Initiative, with which it shares key features, and taken together will contribute to harnessing the energies of the continent towards development and poverty eradication.

81. The Initiative consists of the following elements:

A series of commitments by participating countries to create or consolidate basic governance processes and practices;
An undertaking by participating countries to take the lead in supporting initiatives that foster good governance;
The institutionalisation of commitments through the New Partnership for Africa's Development leadership to ensure that the core values of the initiative are abided by.

82. The New Partnership for Africa's Development states will also undertake a series of commitments towards meeting basic standards of good governance and democratic behaviour while, at the same time, giving support to each other. Participating states will be supported in undertaking such desired institutional reforms where required. Within six months of its institutionalisation, the New Partnership for Africa's Development leadership will identify recommendations on appropriate diagnostic and assessment tools, in support of compliance with the shared goals of good governance, as well as to identify institutional weaknesses and to seek resources and expertise for addressing these weaknesses.

83. In order to strengthen political governance and build capacity to meet these commitments, the New Partnership for Africa's Development leadership will undertake a process of targeted capacity-building initiatives. These institutional reforms will focus on:

Administrative and civil services;
Strengthening parliamentary oversight;
Promoting participatory decision-making;
Adopting effective measures to combat corruption and embezzlement;
Undertaking judicial reforms.

84. Countries participating in the initiative will take the lead in supporting and building institutions and initiatives that protect these commitments. They will dedicate their efforts towards creating and strengthening national, sub-regional and continental structures that support good governance.

The Heads of State Forum on the New Partnership for Africa's Development will serve as a mechanism through which the leadership of the New Partnership for Africa's Development will periodically monitor and assess the progress made by African countries in meeting their commitment towards achieving good governance and social reforms. The Forum will also provide a platform for countries to share experiences with a view to fostering good governance and democratic practices.

The Economic and Corporate Governance Initiative

85. State capacity-building is a critical aspect of creating conditions for development. The State has a major role to play in promoting economic growth and development, and in the implementation of poverty reduction programmes. However, the reality is that many governments lack the capacity to fulfil this role. As a consequence, many countries lack the necessary policy and regulatory frameworks for private sector-led growth. They also lack the capacity to implement programmes even when funding is available.

87. It is for this reason that targeted capacity building should be given a high priority. Programmes in every area must be preceded by an assessment of capacity, followed by the provision of appropriate support.

Objective

88. To promote throughout the participating countries a set of concrete and time-bound programmes aimed at enhancing the quality of economic and public financial management as well as corporate governance.

Actions

89. A Task Force from Ministries of Finance and Central Banks will be commissioned to review economic and corporate governance practices in the various countries and regions, and make recommendations on appropriate standards and codes of good practice for consideration by the Heads of State Implementation Committee within six months.

90. The Implementation Committee will refer its recommendations to African states for implementation.

91. The Implementation Committee will give high priority to public financial management. Countries will develop a programme for improving public financial management and targets, and assessment mechanisms will also be set.

92. The Heads of State Implementation Committee will mobilise resources for capacity-building to enable all countries to comply with the mutually agreed minimum standards and codes of conduct.

Sub-Regional and Regional Approaches to Development

93. Most African countries are small, both in terms of population and per capita incomes. As a consequence of limited markets, they do not offer attractive returns to potential investors, while progress in diversifying production and exports is retarded. This limits investment in essential infrastructure that depends on economies of scale for viability.

94. These economic conditions point to the need for African countries to pool their resources and enhance regional development and economic integration on the continent, in order to improve international competitiveness. The five sub-regional economic groupings of the continent must, therefore, be strengthened.

95. The New Partnership for Africa's Development focuses on the provision of essential regional public goods (such as transport, energy, water, ICT, disease eradication, environmental preservation, and provision of regional research capacity), as well as the promotion of intra-African trade and investments. The focus will be on rationalising the institutional framework for economic integration, by identifying common projects compatible with integrated country and regional development programmes, and on the harmonisation of economic and investment policies and practices. There needs to be co-ordination of national sector policies and effective monitoring of regional decisions.

96. The New Partnership for Africa's Development will give priority to the capacity building in order to enhance the effectiveness of existing regional structures and the rationalisation of existing regional organisations. The African Development Bank must play a leading role in financing regional studies, programmes and projects.

97. The sectors covered by the current Programme include the following priority areas:

Infrastructure, especially information and communications technology (ICT) and energy
Human resources, including education, skills development, and reversing the brain drain
Health
Agriculture
Access to the markets of developed countries for African exports

98. For each sector, however, the objective is to bridge existing gaps between Africa and the developed countries so as to improve the continent's international competitiveness and to enable her to participate in the globalisation process. The special circumstances of African island and land-locked states will also be addressed in this context.

B. Sectoral priorities

Bridging the Infrastructure Gap

(i) All Infrastructure Sectors

99. The infrastructures considered include roads, highways, airports, seaports, railways, waterways, and telecommunication facilities. However, only sub-regional or continental infrastructures will be the focus of the Plan.

100. Infrastructure is one of the major parameters of economic growth, and solutions should be found to permit Africa to rise to the level of developed countries in terms of the accumulation of material and human capital.

101. If Africa had the same basic infrastructure as developed countries, it would be in a more favourable position to focus on production and improving productivity for international competition. The structural gap in infrastructure constitutes a very serious handicap to economic growth and poverty reduction. Improved infrastructure, including the cost and reliability of services, would benefit both Africa and the international community, which would be able to obtain African goods and services more cheaply.

102. In many African countries, the colonial powers built the infrastructure to foster exportation of African raw materials and importation of industrial goods into Africa.

103. We recognise also that if infrastructure is to improve in Africa, private foreign finance is essential to complement the two major funding methods, namely credit and aid.

104. The Infrastructure Initiative comprises elements that are common to all the infrastructure sectors. It also includes elements that are sector-specific.

105. Objectives

To improve access to and affordability and reliability of infrastructure services for both firms and households;
To enhance regional co-operation and trade through expanded cross-border development of infrastructure;
To increase financial investments in infrastructure by lowering risks facing private investors, especially in the area of policy and regulatory frameworks;
To build adequate knowledge and skills in technology and engineering with a view to installing, operating and maintaining "hard" infrastructure networks in Africa.

106. Actions

With the assistance of sector-specialised agencies, put in place policy and legislative frameworks to encourage competition. At the same time, introduce new regulatory frameworks as well as build capacity for regulators, so as to promote policy and regulatory harmonisation in order to facilitate cross-border interaction and market enlargement;
Increase investment in infrastructure, especially refurbishment, and improve system maintenance practices that will sustain infrastructure;
Initiate the development of training institutions and networks which can develop and produce high-skill technicians and engineers in all infrastructure sectors;
Promote community and user involvement in infrastructure construction, maintenance and management, especially in poor urban and rural areas, in collaboration with the New Partnership for Africa's Development Governance Initiatives;
Work with the African Development Bank and other development finance institutions on the continent to mobilise sustainable financing especially through multilateral processes, institutions and donor governments, with a view to securing grant and concessional finance to mitigate medium term risks;
Promote PPPs as a promising vehicle for attracting private investors, and focus public funding on the pressing needs of the poor, by building capacity to implement and monitor such agreements;
In addition to these common issues, the following are sector-specific strategies for the different types of infrastructure.

(ii) Bridging the Digital Divide: Investing in Information and Communication Technologies

107. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), driven by the convergence of computers, telecommunications and traditional media, are crucial for the knowledge-based economy of the future. Rapid advances in technology and the diminishing cost of acquiring the new ICT tools have opened new windows of opportunity for African countries to accelerate economic growth and development. The goals of achieving a Common Market and an African Union can benefit immensely from the revolution in information technology. In addition to fostering intra-regional trade, the use of ICTs could also accelerate Africa's integration into the global economy.

108. Intensive use of ICTs can bring, unprecedented comparative advantages to the continent. It can:

Provide an impetus to the democratisation process and good governance;
Facilitate the integration of Africa into the new information society, using its cultural diversity as a leverage;
ICTs can be helpful tools for a wide range of applications, such as remote sensing and environmental, agricultural and infrastructural planning;
The existing complementarities can be better utilised to provide training that would allow for the production of a critical mass of professionals on the use of ICTs;
In the research sector, we can establish African programmes as well as technological exchange programmes capable of meeting the continent's specific needs, with particular regard to the fight against illiteracy;
ICTs can be used to identify and exploit opportunities for trade, investment and finance;
Can be used to establish regional distance learning and health education programmes to improve the situation in the health and education sectors;
In conflict management and control of pandemic diseases, ICTs will help towards the organisation of an efficient early warning mechanism by providing the tools for constant monitoring of tension spots.

109. In Africa, poor ICT infrastructure, combined with weak policy and regulatory frameworks and limited human resources, has resulted in inadequate access to affordable telephones, broadcasting, computers and the Internet. African teledensity remains below one line per 100 people. Service costs are also high: the connection cost in Africa averages 20 per cent of GDP per capita, compared with the world average of 9 per cent, and 1 per cent for high-income countries. Africa has been unable to capitalise on ICT as a tool in enhancing livelihoods and creating new business opportunities, and cross-border linkages within the continent and with global markets have been constrained. Though many countries in Africa have started ICT policy reforms, service penetration, quality or tariffs have not yet improved.

110. Objectives

To double teledensity to two lines per 100 people by 2005, with an adequate level of access for households;
To lower the cost and improve reliability of service;
To achieve e-readiness for all countries in Africa;
To develop and produce a pool of ICT-proficient youth and students from which Africa can draw trainee ICT engineers, programmers and software developers;
To develop local content software, based especially on Africa's cultural legacy.

111. Actions

Work with regional agencies such as the African Telecommunications Union and Africa Connection to design model policy and legislation for telecommunications reform, and protocols and templates for e-readiness assessments;
Work with the regional agencies to build regulatory capacity;
Establish a network of training and research institutions to build high-level manpower;
Promote and accelerate existing projects to connect schools and youth centres;
Work with development finance institutions in Africa, multilateral initiatives (G-8 DotForce, UN Task Force) and bilateral donors to establish financial mechanisms to mitigate and reduce sector risks.

(iii) Energy

112. Objectives

Energy plays a critical role in the development process, first as a domestic necessity but also as a factor of production whose cost directly affects prices of other goods and services, and the competitiveness of enterprises. Given the uneven distribution of these resources on the continent, it is recommended that the search for abundant and cheap energy to focus on rationalising the territorial distribution of existing but unevenly allocated energy resources. Furthermore, Africa should strive to develop its solar energy resources which is abundantly available.
To increase from 10 per cent to 35 per cent or more, access to reliable and affordable commercial energy supply by Africa's population in 20 years;
To improve the reliability as well as lower the cost of energy supply to productive activities in order to enable economic growth of 6 per cent per annum;
To reverse environmental degradation that are associated with the use of traditional fuels in rural areas;
To exploit and develop the hydropower potential of river basins of Africa;
To integrate transmission grids and gas pipelines so as to facilitate cross-border energy flows;
To reform and harmonise petroleum regulations and legislation in the continent.

113. Actions

Establish an African Forum for Utility Regulation and establish regional regulatory associations;
Establish a task force to recommend priorities and implementation strategies for regional projects, including hydropower generation, transmission grids and gas pipelines;
Establish a task team to accelerate the development of energy supply to low-income housing;
Broaden the scope of the programme for biomass energy conservation from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to the rest of the continent.

(iv) Transport

114. Objectives

To reduce delays in cross-border movement of people, goods and services;
To reduce waiting-time in ports;
To promote economic activity and cross-border trade through improved land transport linkages;
To increase air passenger and freight linkages across Africa's sub-regions.

115. Actions

Establish customs and immigration task teams to harmonise border crossing and visa procedures;
Establish and nurture PPPs as well as grant concessions towards the construction, development and maintenance of ports, roads, railways and maritime transportation;
Promote harmonisation of transport modal standards and regulations, and the increased use of multimodal transport facilities;
Work with the regional organisations to develop transport development corridors;
Promote PPPs in the rationalisation of the airline industry and build capacity for air traffic control.

(v) Water and Sanitation

116. Objectives

To ensure sustainable access to safe and adequate clean water supply and sanitation, especially for the poor;
To plan and manage water resources to become a basis for national and regional co-operation and development;
To systematically address and sustain ecosystems, bio-diversity and wildlife;
To co-operate on shared rivers among member states;
To effectively address the threat of climate change;
To ensure enhanced irrigation and rain-fed agriculture to improve agricultural production and food security.

117. Actions

Accelerate work on multipurpose water resource projects; for example, the SADC Water Secretariat's investigation of the utilisation of the Congo River, and the Nile Basin Initiative;
Establish a task team to make plans for mitigating the negative impact of climate change in Africa;
Collaborate with the Global Environmental Sanitation Initiative (GESI) in promoting sanitary waste disposal methods and projects;
Support the UN Habitat programme on Water Conservation in African Cities.

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Updated on 25 July 2001 09:46:03 +0200