COMMISSION ON THE NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT AND THE AFRICAN UNION

Chairperson: Mr Gabriel Mokgoko, Business
Speaker: Dr. Pandelani Thomas Mathoma, Chief Director: Southern Africa, Department of Foreign Affairs
Respondents: Mr Sipho Masuku, Community and Mr Cunningham Ngcukana, Labour
Business: Vic van Vuuren
Labour: Ebrahim Patel
Rapporteurs:Mr Thami Maseko and Ms Brenda Chauke 

1. Welcome and opening

The chairperson opened the commission and welcomed all present.
He indicated the theme of the Commission and introduced the Speaker and the Respondents.

2. Summary of issues raised by Dr Mathoma

2.1. Origins/Mandate of Nepad

The mandate of 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 Bouteflika of Algeria to engage Africa's creditors on the total cancellation of Africa's external debt. An ongoing process of meetings of African leaders culminated in the formulation of the Millennium Partnership for the African Recovery Programme (MAP). Other initiatives such as the OMEGA plan and the ECA's New Global Compact with Africa were synergised into the New African Initiatives (NAI) on the 11th of July 2001; this was presented to the OAU summit of Heads of State and the Government in Lusaka, Zambia, providing the vision of Africa. The birth of NEPAD incalculated 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 (XXXV11) 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.

2.2. 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 people centred sustainable development in Africa based on democratic values;
• Being premised on the 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.

2.3. Objective

The primary objective of NEPAD is to eradicate poverty in Africa and to place African countries both individually and collectively on a path to sustainable growth and development in order to halt the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process. 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.

2.4. 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 cooperate governance: the economic and cooperate governance initiative: and the sub regional and regional approaches to development.
• The second component provides the sectoral priorities, which includes 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.

2.5. Relationship of NEPAD to other programmes

2.5.1 NEPAD is a mandated initiative of the OAU/ African Union. The NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee has to report annually to the OAU/ Union Summit.

2.5.2 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 Blantrye on 13th of September 2001, SADC is part of and feeds into NEPAD since the latter feeds is premised on the regional economic communities (RECs)

2.5.3 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.

2.5.4 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 themselves.

2.6. Implementation of NEPAD

At the inaugural Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee meeting held in Abuja on 23rd 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 & Principle
• East Africa: Ethiopia, Mauritius and Rwanda
• Southern Africa: South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Mozambique

Steering Committee

The steering committee is composed of the personal representatives of 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 secretariat 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 co-ordinate 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.

The urgency for peace and security led to the creation of a sub-committee to deal with these issues, 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 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.

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 to ensure the implementation of objectives contained in such documents as the Constitutive Act of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, the Protocol on the Establishment of an African Court on human Rights and the Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Change of Government.

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, visualise 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 co-ordination of economic activities".

Eight Draft Codes and standards for Economic and corporate Governance for Africa and 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 presentation to the next meeting of the committee should also include Draft Action Plan on Capacity, Poverty alleviation, gender issues and Disaster Management.

2.7 Relationship between NEPAD and the CSSDCA

Although there is convergence and complimentarity between the objectives of the conference on Security, Stability, Development and Co-operation 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 co-operation with the OAU Secretariat committee 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.

2.8 Way forward

A detailed NEPAD Programme of Action was presented to the next summit of the G-8 in Kananaskis in Canada in June 2002 and to the inaugural Summit of the African Union in South Africa in July 2002. The European Community, the World, the IMF and the UN also participated in the Kananaskis meeting. It is expected that the decisions taken at G-8 meeting will further help to advance the Global Development Goals agreed at the 2000 UN Millennium Summit build on the Monetary FfD Conference. NEPAD was succesfully promoted at the WSSD and a supportive declaration adopted at the end of the Summit.

3. From a South African perspective

3.1 Understanding NEPAD from the point of entrance from South Africa to the whole of NEPAD engagements.

3.1.1 Develop coherent strategy in respect of NEPAD that will further deepen South Africa's commitment. Such a strategy should partly ensure that all other interventions and initiatives are aligned with NEPAD;

3.1.2 Enhance efforts to create a greater synergy and compatibility between regional and continental programmes of action;

3.1.3 Ensure that there is an assessment of the capacity requirements in the particular field in question, when detailed action plans are developed in each project area, followed by a mobilisation of resources to address the identified capacity constraints;

3.1.4 Marshall resources to ensure implementation by outsourcing projects to identified agencies and /or experts in particular fields as and when required;

3.1.5 Assist in the building of capacity of African institutions in four key areas namely:

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

3.1.6 Identify a flagship programme for NEPAD e.g. Air Transport and/or an African Art Museum.

3.1.7 Provide support to the Sub-committee on Peace and Security chaired by President Mbeki.

3.1.8 Engage in the presidential outreach public awareness programme/project.

3.1.9 Provide strategic support to the NEPAD Secretariat.

3.1.10 Establish strategic link between NEPAD (structures) and FD/WSSD/WTO.

3.1.11 Increase awareness and buy-in by Africa and international community, i.e. disseminate on a continuos basis as much information about NEPAD to African countries represented in the NEPAD implementation Committee, as well as to the international community.

3.2 Co-ordination of NEPAD

At the extended cabinet Lekgotla held in July 2002 a decision was taken to establish an inter-departmental committee to co-ordinate national efforts aligned with the NEPAD principles. The NEPAD/AU/SADC inter Departmental committee to co-ordinating Committee came into being in August 2002 and meets once per month. Currently a government wide process of assessment is underway for the identification of possible NEPAD projects.

4 Respondent:

4.1 Cunningham Ngcukana,

Cunningham Ngcukana welcomed NEPAD initiative with an analysis of the plight of African workers. Africa has been torn apart with religious conflicts, military dictatorship and droughts. The rational of creating NEPAD emanated from the shortcomings the OAU.

Critical challenges to NEPAD

• There should be a strong civil society and Trade Union involvement in NEPAD, though it should be acknowledged that there is a diminishing presence of strong civil society involvement in other African countries.
• Arrest the development of International Monetary Policy and the World Bank, to achieve this Africa needs to develop its own capacity to enforce the developmental process and cut the dependency of the European Community.
• Peace enforcement mechanisms within Africa are highly discriminatory when conflicts arise.
• Defining the term democracy within the affiliates of NEPAD should take into account religion, cultural issues and ethnic arithmetic.
• On economic good governance, part of the corruption comes from the west a case study of Lesotho resembles this fact. The other point is that NEPAD should encourage the eradication of corruption.

4.2 Sipho Masuku

Sipho Masuku welcomed the paper on NEPAD and went further to highlight that the civil society in South Africa was reluctant to engage in the NEPAD process. He proposed the following:

• Government should identify a niche for civil society involvement in the NEPAD process.
• NEPAD should look into the extent to which corporate accountability, the extent to which Multi National Corporation (MNC) involvement into the degradation of environment.
• The programme should also look into the inclusion of Black Economic Empowerment with community participation.
• The Succession Plan on the agricultural phasing should be revisited.
• Relaxation of Tariffs, reciprocity from America, Japan and European community.
• To what extent do the market forces as outlined within the NEPAD document protect the interest of Africans since Africa has been known to be a dumping place?
• There should be institutional capacity within foreign affairs in support to the civil society.
• The issue of ethno-nationalism should also be dealt within NEPAD.

5. Themes Raised in the Discussion

5.1 A framework has to be developed within NEPAD which will look into the aspects of Xenophobia, Racism and ethnic problems.

5.2 Strengthening the role of civil society in the whole of Africa, and provide capacity for the meaningful participation of civil society.

5.3 Timeframe should be set for the achievement of NEPAD processes.

5.4 Consolidation of our natural and human resources to people living in desperate poverty.

5.5 Asses NEPAD and African Union in global politics.

5.6 NEPAD should incalculate the needs of women and disabled people.

5.7 A creation of an institutional framework for the role of civil society, with specific emphasis in defining what democracy entails

5.8 NEPAD has to give clarity on the relevance of Business in the whole process.

5.9 Enhance community participation in NEPAD.