Kenya will host the first inaugural meeting of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) focal points platform. The meeting, starting tomorrow will attract representation from at least 24 African countries and will kick of tomorrow at Windsor Golf Hotel.
“Africa is the single most exciting continent right now in terms of opportunities and for doing business. We are the next big thing,” said Devolution Cabinet Secretary Ann Waiguru (pictured), who will open the talks. Expected at the event will be representatives of other regional economic blocs among them IGAD, Comesa, Ecowas and EAC.
Nepad, the technical arm of the African Union, is spearheaded by African leaders, to address challenges facing the continent, among them poverty and development. In Kenya, programmes being implemented under Nepad include African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), Climate Change and Natural Resource Management, Infrastructure and Regional Integration, Human Development and Gender, Youth and ICT. The programmes are being implemented by Nepad Kenya Secretariat whose mandate is to identify areas of synergy with Vision 2030 and the Constitution.
The secretariat also seeks to align development initiatives with the AU-Nepad action plan at country level besides aligning Nepad projects to the Regional Economic Countries (RECs) and Vision 2030.
Other roles include establishing strategies for forging alliances, collaboration, partnerships at national and regional level, building capacity and competences of key stakeholders for effective implementation of Nepad programmes and tapping into the private sector resources, competences and capabilities.
“Kenya also plays a regional mandate in fulfilling the Nepad agenda within the East African region on an interim basis. This mandate was bestowed upon the country at the 2nd Eastern Africa Region Heads of State and Government Summit on Nepad held in Nairobi in October 2003, Kenya was mandated to be the regional co-ordinator of Nepad activities in eastern Africa as an interim measure,” said Ibraham Assane Mayaki, former Prime Minister of Niger and CEO of Nepad.
Nepad Kenya secretariat, he said, has been instrumental in supporting the implementation of priority projects identified in Vision 2030 that have a direct link to Nepad and APRM National Plan of Action and engaging policy institutions on key APRM grassroots’ issues. The Nepad secretariat has also enabled the government to increase agricultural productivity through a 10 per cent annual budget through CAADP.
Through the introduction of Nepad e-schools programme, schools have been used as a mirror to introduce computers both at primary and secondary schools to encourage use of ICT. Kenya, among other countries in region has fully integrated the CAADP into the country’s agricultural programmes (Strategy for the Revitalisation of Agriculture).
“It is a fact that women constitute over 52 per cent of the African population and also contribute significantly to the development of the continent yet they rarely enjoy access to basic services or equal opportunities, and are often excluded from major decision-making processes, said Mayaki.
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