(Period
2001- 2003)
The approach that inspired NEPAD is part of a vision
for making up for lost time by filling in the gaps in those sectors, which
could ensure strong and sustainable growth for African economies. These eight
sectors have been ranked as priorities, with infrastructure as the top
priority.
According to President Wade, the priority given to
infrastructure is based on the historical experiences of development observed
throughout the world, particularly the United States, Europe and the emerging
countries of Asia, where it was seen that the full and complete utilization of
the main sources of growth, namely, physical capital, including basic infrastructure,
and human capital, contributed to the growth of those economies. Lack of
infrastructure, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, is symptomatic in
Africa.
As the priority of this plan is to end the
marginalization of Africa from the globalization process and to accelerate the
continent’s economic integration, it is important to remedy the infrastructure
deficit by means of major investments in order to create the conditions for
African economies to become productive and competitive. This means developing
all infrastructure sectors (roads, highways, ports, railways, waterways and
telecommunications). In the field of telecommunications, specific actions must
be undertaken to bridge the digital divide.
As President Wade has stressed, new information and
communication technologies (NTIC) postulate a democracy in which everyone
advances at the same speed, allowing widespread access to information and
telecommunication networks to be envisaged. That is why he has appealed to all
partners to help Africa meet the gigantic challenge of the digital revolution.
It should also be recalled that one of the basic options of NEPAD is recourse
to the private sector to obtain investment financing. That will require
creating an environment that can both attract investments and guarantee
business security.
In this context, good political governance as well as
sound management of public affairs and of businesses are factors for the
development and success of the NEPAD programme of action.
As an initiating country, Senegal has not focused its
efforts on NEPAD priorities only at the national level, but has also joined the
battle for Africa’s image, with the result that NEPAD is today recognized by
the entire international community and accepted by all African heads of State.
1.
Establishment of
national focal points for NEPAD: NEPAD is first and foremost a political
initiative of the African Heads of State. African leaders recognize, however,
that the success of the programme depends on the commitment of the peoples of
Africa to take their destiny into their own hands. Therefore, they have
appealed to their peoples to prepare themselves to take up the challenge of
mobilization by establishing, at every level, mechanisms enabling them to
organize and take action. The establishment of structures responsible for
ensuring that people take ownership of the programme has been uneven at the
level of countries. In this area, Senegal has played a leadership role by
taking the initiative of creating a general delegation to NEPAD responsible for
coordinating the programme’s implementation at the national level and
monitoring its implementation by the various ministerial departments falling
within its scope.
2. Strengthening human and institutional capacities
at the national, sub regional and regional levels in order effectively to
implement the New Partnership. The long-term success of NEPAD will depend on
several imperatives: design and implementation of actual projects and programmes,
mobilization of internal and external resources to finance those projects and
creation at the national and regional level of conditions likely to attract
both domestic and foreign private capital. The strengthening of human and
institutional capacities at both the national and the sub regional level is
thus a necessity.
As far as the Government of Senegal is concerned, it
has undertaken a vast reform programme whose main elements are the
establishment of a quality macroeconomic framework, an increase in the
effectiveness and transparency of economic and social management, the
consolidation of the rule of law in a democratic society and the promotion of
the private sector.
Capacity building of the human resources involved in
managing the economy will be accomplished through a training programme.
Furthermore, the implementation of NEPAD should ultimately result in
restructuring within the State, particularly at the institutional level. A
study will be conducted to help prepare for the changes that may be necessary.
3. Integration of the priorities and objectives of
the New Partnership into the programmes of the regional economic communities of
Africa. One of the fundamental choices of NEPAD is to consider the region as
the operational economic space for projects and programmes. Taking into account
President Wade’s observation that superimposing national development plans does
not create any coherence, NEPAD has chosen to reverse its approach by starting
from the space shared by countries. Programmes have thus been developed at the
sub regional level — Central Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa
and North Africa — using an approach that takes account of community projects
that could promote integration. Once the design and programming of these
programmes with the support of lead agencies (ADB, AEC, FAO, etc.) is complete,
their actual implementation will take place at the level of the regional
economic communities. These
communities are currently working to adapt their programmes to those of NEPAD.
However, it is necessary to build their capacities and harmonize their
assistance procedures to allow them to execute these programmes. In this
framework, several partners, including ADB, UNDP and AEC, have pledged to
provide support to the regional economic communities.
4. Efforts to raise awareness of the New Partnership
African leaders have invested a great deal in the process of NEPAD’s
interaction with the international community. A vast outreach programme has
been undertaken with their peers in the Group of Eight, within the United
Nations in the context of a special session, and in various other forums (OECD,
African Union summits, Davos Forum). President Wade, in his capacity as
President of one of the initiating countries, has been particularly prominent
in advocacy for this programme, taking every opportunity at international
meetings to present this new and original vision for the future of Africa.
Above all, Senegal has devoted enormous efforts to involving the private sector
and civil society as partners in all stages of NEPAD, from its elaboration to
the detailed design of projects and programmes, by organizing several meetings
in Dakar: a meeting of economists on the relevance and coherence of the Omega
Plan, an international seminar on private sector participation in the financing
of NEPAD, a workshop on the role of employer organizations and business owners
in the implementation of NEPAD, a regional seminar of the Association of West
African Women (AFAO) on NEPAD, and several forums organized by civil society
associations (non-governmental organizations, network of women academics and
intellectuals, student associations). However, it must be acknowledged that
much remains to be done to encourage people to join in this project, which is why
it is important to develop outreach. Senegal has already begun this effort by
proposing to establish a strategy for ensuring that all the less privileged
classes, particularly youth, workers, trade unions, peasants and especially
women’s organizations, take ownership of NEPAD.
5. Promoting and enhancing the role of African women
in all aspects of the implementation of the New Partnership Women are essential
partners in any development programme. Their participation in the
implementation of NEPAD is a necessity, given the objectives pursued by the
programme, which aims to eradicate poverty in Africa. Since they are the people
most seriously affected by this phenomenon, African women have fought for the
acknowledgement that solving the problem of poverty requires promoting gender
equality. NEPAD is committed to working to guarantee gender equality and the
effective integration of women in the political and socio-economic development
process. At the summit of heads of State responsible for the implementation of
NEPAD, held on 3 November 2002 at Abuja, African leaders pledged to promote the
role of women by strengthening their capacities in the areas of education and
training and giving them access to income-generating activities. More
particularly in Senegal, President Wade has reaffirmed his commitment to work
side by side with women by promising to help them make up for lost time. He has
personally attended all the events organized by women with a view to taking
ownership of the process.
Technical or financial assistance from African
Regional Organizations (AU, ECA, ADB) in implementing the NEPAD priorities
Senegal
has not received financial assistance or contributions from African regional
organizations or bilateral and multilateral donors in support of NEPAD.
Technical or financial assistance from bilateral
donors or multilateral donors (IMF, World Bank IFC or other agencies of the UN
system) in support of NEPAD
Senegal has not received financial assistance or
contributions from African regional organizations or bilateral and multilateral
donors in support of NEPAD.
Overall estimated financial assistance received from
donors in support of NEPAD programmes/ projects
Senegal has not received financial assistance or
contributions from African regional organizations or bilateral and multilateral
donors in support of NEPAD.
Significance of the African Peer Review Mechanism to
the success of NEPAD
NEPAD places good governance at the heart of its
approach, as a factor for the development and success of its programme of
action. The innovative aspect of this programme is that it is subject to
multilateral monitoring by African heads of State, rather than rules of
governance imposed by external partners. There is reason to welcome the
commitment by African countries to promote good governance and sound economic
management, which are essential elements for the sustainable development of
Africa. The question is whether the Peer Review implementation formula chosen
is too cumbersome (eminent persons, Secretariat) and whether it should be
simplified by instituting a regional Peer Review.
The international community must support these
efforts in the framework of the partnership advocated by NEPAD.