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Articulating NEPAD’s Broad Mandate - Dr Wole Kunuji

It is not yet clear whether the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), described as Africa’s strategic framework for continental socio-economic development, is another white elephant project, the like of which is not in short supply across Africa. The vision behind the NEPAD initiative is great, it’s framework document is loftily worded, and there are initial signs that the NEPAD Agency is determined to actualize the vision of the African Union for economic renaissance across the continent. But we have seen projects like this before. Many of them have since become moribund. What will set NEPAD apart from previous failed ventures is not just the unwavering commitment of the African Union as a body to the goal of Africa’s economic rebirth, but also a determination on the part of the NEPAD Agency- the technical body saddled with the task of implementing the AU’s economic rejuvenation vision- to properly situate its role in Africa’s economic recovery process.

The Agency must avoid the illusion of perceiving its mandate as purely economic in nature. NEPAD’s mandate should not and must never be narrowly construed. Economic growth across the continent is contingent on a number of other factors- factors which must be squarely addressed for economic growth to occur. Africa is currently plagued by illiteracy, corruption, war and terrorism among others. Real economic growth including economic integration of the continent cannot be stimulated without simultaneously addressing these other issues. NEPAD’s mandate is thus broad and must be robustly construed. The Agency must adopt a multi-pronged approach in implementing its mandate. It will need to actively campaign against illiteracy, corruption, human rights violation, poor governance, absence of a democratic culture, conflict and terrorism. It will need to partner with civil society organizations, development institutions, government agencies and other stakeholders to tackle these threshold issues. Partnership in this regard will be in the areas of advocacy, fund mobilization, project initiation and project monitoring.

In essence, beyond facilitating intra and inter-country infrastructure development, promoting investments in agriculture and health care and enhancing gender rights among other economic initiatives, the NEPAD Agency should also prioritize socio-political issues like the ones mentioned in the previous paragraph. It is a fact that the Agency’s core mandate cannot be effectively realized except these issues are simultaneously addressed. This is the way to go if NEPAD is not to become another jamboree.

Although NEPAD’s strategic framework document clearly acknowledges the need to cooperatively address problems of corruption, conflict, poor governance, absence of democracy, and other social problems as a condition for stimulating and sustaining the much needed economic renaissance on the continent, NEPAD’s leadership must resist the temptation to cede that responsibility to individual states. The NEPAD Agency should actively adopt strategies and devise tools for inducing and monitoring the social changes needed for sustainable economic development on the African continent.

The mandate of NEPAD is, in reality, a very broad one. The earlier this is properly understood, the better for Africa.

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