The African Union’s Executive Council has adopted the statutes, the rules of procedure and the structure of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), which officially replaces the NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development).
The decisions were approved during the 35th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, which was held in Niamey, on July 4 and July 5. 2019. The AUDA NEPAD has become the first development agency of the African Union and now has a mandate and a clearly defined legal identity.
Rwandan President Paul Kagamé had submitted the proposal to transform NEPAD into an African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) with the African Union Conference of Heads of State and Government last year. The Assembly of the African Union had approved the creation of AUDA-NEPAD as a technical implementation agency during a meeting in July 2018.
Established in the early 2000s, NEPAD was constituted with a vision of a prosperous Africa, interconnected, rich of each of its countries and their inhabitants. NEPAD was the manifestation of the African states’ willingness to take up leadership on the theme of the continent’s development. The role of the NEPAD Agency was reaffirmed in the Agenda 2063 set out by the African Union in 2013. It is notably responsible for implementing the major projects of Africa of the future, closely associating private sector.
AUDA-NEPAD will have a broader role in providing advisory support to member states related to development strategies and capacity building, and to assist drive their development strategies. The agency will play a crucial role in disseminating best practices and will support country efforts to build capacity and leverage regional and global partnerships.
“This transformation recognizes the role of AUDA-NEPAD at the heart of the African Union’s Pan-African development strategies,” said Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD. “The Agency will play an important role in promoting coordination at the heart of AU forums by providing advisory services and technical assistance to African Union Member States and Regional Economic Communities. AUDA-NEPAD intends to play a catalytic role for the integration of Africa, notably through the operationalization of the continental free trade area of the AU. “
