The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is a new developmental paradigm that seeks an indigenous solution to Africa's problems.This is meant to be a home grown solution to the myriad of problems hindering Africa's development and can be seen as a localization of the United Nations Organization's Millennium Development Goals.Previous development plans had been seen as foreign solutions which are disconnected from the realities facing African countries.
The journey towards the formulation of the NEPAD began at the G7 summit in Japan in 1999.The Group of industrialized nations needed details in concrete terms what the continent needed to do at the beginning of the century and what kind of support they would require.The outcome was the Millennium African Plan.At Lusaka, during the OAU summit in the year 2001,three African leaders(President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria (Chairman of G77),President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa (President of the Non Aligned Movement) and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria (Chairman of the OAU)) presented the plan to their colleagues for adoption.The OAU was in transition (into the African Union) and the tenure of the Secretary General was about to end at this time.Soon after,Genoa in Italy offered another opportunity for African leaders who were invited for a presentation of the African initiative by G7+1,namely,US,Canada,Britain,France,Germany,Italy,Japan plus Russia.By then , a programme similar to the one conceived by the three founding African leaders had been introduced simply as the New African Initiative.The three founding fathers joined by Wade of Senegal made a presentation to the leaders of the industrialized world,who then decided that at their next meeting in Kananaskis,Canada,they would also present.Before the planned summit,such as G8 leaders such as Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Jean Chretien of Britain and Canada respectively had been evolving their Governments' African program and also taken time to visit President Obasanjo in Abuja to discuss shared visions about Africa.
For several reasons,the Abuja Summit of African leaders in October 2001 was a defining moment for the partnership.First,President Obasanjo who had been elected as the Chairman of the Implementation Committee hosted the Summit.Second a record number of African leaders attended the summit and took part in its deliberations.Third,the Steering Committee,composed of experts from member countries,had made concrete preparations and held meetings to come up with a detailed programme.Four,the consensus was that the efforts thus far made needed to have a name agreeable to all members as an initiative,as an African efforts and with emphasis on partnership.Thus emerged th name by which the programme is now called "the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).The Dakar meeting in April 2002 had the objectives of involving the private sector in NEPAD.The meeting also highlighted the partnership with industrialized nations and noted NEPAD was not separate from the African Union.The Kananaskis meeting was held in June 2002 and aimed at fulfilling the undertaking the the Genoa meeting of the G8:to come up with an Action Plan.A pledge of $6 Billion as assistance was made under conditions of trade and market access,debt remission,investment and official development assistance.The Durban Summit in July 2002 saw the transition of the OAU into the African Union.Its also witnessed a crucial update of NEPAD with a report on the Kananaskis.
FUTURE PLANS OF NEPAD
1.To ensure that NEPAD remains an African Initiative
2.Involvement of regional blocs in Africa
3.Involvement of vital sectors in the program.
4.Engaging in practical program and delivering a positive impact.
5.To intensify the effort at popular participation in NEPAD through information channels marketing and contact
6.To strengthen the steering Committee as the technical storehouse of NEPAD in areas such as ICT,infrastructure,poverty reduction ,water,transport,health,agriculture,energy,sanitation,education
7.To ensure that African leaders have the political will to make the necessary sacrifice in areas such as APRM
