The African Union Development Agency-NEPAD: A contemporary paradigm

Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki

28 March 2022

Africa is in vibrant transition, said Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of AUDA–NEPAD, in an interview with The Diplomatic Society. Dr Mayaki, the former Prime Minister of Niger, paid tribute to African excellence and extended his heartfelt congratulations to Diébédo Francis Kéré, the 56-year-old from Gando village in Burkina Faso who became the first African to be awarded the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture’s highest international honour. Africans are being acknowledged for their prowess, skills and abilities around the world said Mayaki, who has come to the end of his tenure as Chief Executive of AUDA-NEPAD.

Mayaki took on the reins as Chief Executive Officer of the continental body in 2009 after it was launched in 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia at the 37th Session of the Assembly of the African Heads of State and Government. “It was Dr Jean Ping, Chair of the African Union Commission from 2008 to 2012, who convinced me to take the position to lead the organization,” he explained, “as I had openly expressed some scepticism of the project.” Dr Mayaki followed Dr Firmino Mucavele of Mozambique (2005–2008) while Prof Wiseman Nkhulu of South Africa (2001–2005) was chosen to head the project at its inception.

NEPAD has met with many critical challenges as its progress has ebbed and flowed since its launch almost 21 years ago. The formation of the African Union (AU) in July of 2002 in Durban, South Africa was a transformation of the Organisation for African Unity – OAU which was established on 25th May 1963, which is celebrated as Africa Day. NEPAD became the program to accelerate the economic integration in Africa and putting a stop to its marginalisation on international trading and investment platforms. Its objective is people centred development, to consolidate democracy and promote peace, stability and accountability and to develop sound economic management systems.

In July 2019 in Niamey, Niger, the African Union Development Agency – AUDA was established. It was the learning curve of the integration of NEPAD in the AU’s Agenda 2063 masterplan for developing Africa into a global powerhouse, explained Mayaki. “We have a simple program that people can easily understand.” said Mayaki. “The priorities are health, food and jobs.” These priorities have their own value chains and the demand and supply of basic economics will lead to work and employment in multiple sectors for skilled and semi- skilled labour.

The population growth rate makes Africa more important to the global economy now more than ever before. Predicted to reach 2.4 billion by 2050, the African continent, abundant in resources, minerals and large tracts of arable land, is ideally positioned at the core for global development once again. Africa has clearly stood the test of time and has shown resilience in the most difficult times that it has had to face and has risen above and beyond, and continues to rise.

Africa's demographics show that some 70% of Africa's population is under 30 years of age, and these young people have much more confidence in themselves, said Mayaki. Africa has a young, dynamic educated and informed population who display self-assurance and confidence, armed with knowledge of the endurance, courage and strength of their forebears. Their education has made them deeply aware of the subjugation and enslavement of the continent and the folly of decades of post-colonial rule that foisted the division of Africans, and that decolonisation requires a sharp move away from a narrow, nationalistic agenda.

The recent African Union – European Union Summit which Mayaki attended and where he participated in several panel discussions, was a real reflection of the extra-ordinary progress Africans have made in contrast to their European counterparts. The key outcomes clearly indicate the paradigm shift, a change in mindset that has left the EU grappling with its own history as Africa recognises its own potential and takes control of its own destiny.

“We are working on establishing a central banking system for Africa,” said Mayaki, noting the duplicitous and clearly restrictive global monetary and financial system which allows those that developed the system to manipulate it in their favour which allows them to implement “quantitative easing” with little or no consequence to their own economies. “If we have an African Central Bank we could do the same. This will also pave the way for an integrated monetary system and a unified currency mechanism that will hasten the economic union of the African continent.”

“I am 70 years old. That is a bonus (considering the life expectancy in Niger)," said the former Prime Minister of Niger in jest about his retirement from the organisation that he has served for the past 13 years. He acknowledged the organisation and paid tribute to South Africa for being a gracious host to AUDA-NEPAD. “I will spend my time reading, writing and enjoying quality time with my grandchildren, and will travel to South Africa, which we, my wife and I have grown fond of, whenever an opportunity arises.”

Nardos Bekele–Thomas will take over the reins from Dr Mayaki and will be the first woman to head AUDA-NEPAD. She served as the head and Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in South Africa. “I am encouraged that Nardos was appointed. She comes from an institutional family like the United Nations and brings a wealth of development knowledge,” said Mayaki.

Africa makes up more than a quarter of the countries represented and as a bloc is the largest. “We should amplify our interactions with the diplomats based here in Pretoria which hosts one of the largest diplomatic representations in the world,” concluded Mayaki.

by Kirtan Bhana and Anisha Pemjee