Africa\u2019s continued progress on growth and development targets will hinge on concerted efforts \u2013 from partnerships inside and outside the continent \u2013 to enhance infrastructure, a vital area that will facilitate diversification of African economies and unleash their full productive capacity, the President of the United Nations General Assembly said today.<\/p>\n
Assembly President Sam Kutesa spotlighted infrastructure development as he opened the 193-member body\u2019s annual consideration of the landmark New Partnership for Africa\u2019s Development (NEPAD), and other key issues concerning for the continent, including efforts to roll back malaria. The meeting caps what has become informally known as \u201cAfrica Week\u201d (13 to 17 October) at UN Headquarters.<\/p>\n
With the adoption of NEPAD\u2019s Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) in July 2012, African Leaders laid a foundation for the development of critical regional and continental infrastructure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfrica needs hydropower dams and transmission lines to facilitate production. It needs roads, railways and ports to facilitate commerce and trade. It needs core ICT<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
[information and communications technology] infrastructure to support trade in goods and services, as well as governance structures,\u201d added Mr. Kutesa.<\/p>\n
Hailing the efforts under NEPAD in coordinating development of infrastructure across the continent through PIDA’s priority Action as \u201ccommendable\u201d, the Assembly President noted that over the last 12 months, of the 51 projects and programmes envisioned, 16 national and regional projects were identified as quick wins for financing and implementation. He said it is important that the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) continues to receive attention, as a guiding framework for the development of this sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese projects and others will require enormous amounts of resources, but financing by governments alone is not enough. Other sources of funding, especially from the private sector, including specialized funds, should be tapped into,\u201d said Mr. Kutesa, noting that the Presidential Infrastructure Champions Initiative (PICI), adopted to prioritise and fast-track the implementation of key regional projects is a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cStrengthened bilateral and regional cooperation to develop joint cross-border projects will also be important going forward,\u201d he continued, adding that improving access to sustainable sources of clean, reliable and affordable energy will also be crucial to Africa\u2019s economic and social development.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe United Nations Sustainable Energy for All initiative, which aims to ensure universal energy access by 2030, has highlighted the importance of access to electricity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning to the global effort to curb eradicate malaria, one of the most serious health problems facing the world today and which is endemic in Africa, especially in tropical Africa, with an estimated 90 per cent of the total malaria incidence and deaths occurring there, he said that since the Assembly adopted the first resolution on malaria in 2000, the world has witnessed significant political commitment to the fight against the disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should all be proud of the fact that just 10 years after the passage of the first resolution, more than 1.1 million deaths from malaria were averted,\u201d he said, but cautioned against complacency. \u201cWe should redouble our efforts\u2026to reach our ultimate goal of its total eradication. We must press on with conviction and determination that this preventable and treatable disease can be eradicated in our lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n