Upcoming African Heads of State, Gov't Assembly Expected to Approve Ten-Year Plan for Dev’t Program

Addis Ababa, January 16/2024(ENA) -A 10-year plan that guides Africa’s development program will be approved by the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union which take place from 17th – 18th February 2024. 

The 47th Ordinary Session of the African Union's Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) opened in Addis Ababa yesterday with the objective to discuss various draft reports and prepare the agenda of the 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council scheduled to take place 14-15 February 2024 in Addis Ababa.

During the occasion, the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) announced that a 10-year plan that targets to guide Africa’s development program will be approved at the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union. 

AUDA-NEPAD CEO Nardos Bekele told ENA that one of the priorities of the agency in 2023 had been preparing a 10-year plan for African development program. 

The plan has been prepared by taking into consideration the opportunities and challenges in African development activities, current realities and future challenges, including climate change, she said.

Highlighting that the plan comprises the Africa's development stakeholders and partners, Nardos stated that the amount of finance required for the continent's development and finance it need to get from other sources are included in the plan. 

African development should be led by Africans, the CEO said, adding that there cannot be development with a strategy and direction prepared and set by others. 

Noting that the plan incorporates monitoring, controlling and accountability systems in detail, she pointed out that the plan puts in place a system for Africa’s development stakeholders and the international development partners to work together.  

Accordingly, the 10-year plan is expected to be approved at the 37th AU heads of state and government summit.

Recall that the 31st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Union Heads of State and Government in Nouakchott, Mauritania in 2018, decided to transform the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency into African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD). 

The establishment of AUDA-NEPAD is part of the global reforms geared at improving the Union’s impact and operational efficiency. 

The mandate of AUDA-NEPAD is to coordinate and execute priority regional and continental projects to promote regional integration towards the accelerated realization of Agenda 2063 and strengthen capacity of African Union member states and regional bodies.