Integrating the priorities of the New Partnership for ... Nepad.pdf · New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) ... ment process. That such integration is important is underscored

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al Adviser on Africa

Integrating the priorities of theNew Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)into the national development process:experiences from selected African countries

Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA)United NationsTel: (212) 963 0739Fax: (212) 963 6940http://www.un.org/esa/africa

35404—June 2004—1,300

United Nations, New York2004

Published by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The country case studies in this report were undertaken with the assistance of ChadliHamza and Farid Benyoucef (Algeria), Daniel Omoweh (Nigeria), and Chris

Landsberg (South Africa).

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Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

I. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.1 Organization of NEPAD focal points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2 Mechanisms for decision-making and implementing NEPAD

at the national level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.3 Financial and budgetary allocations to NEPAD priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.4 Consultative process within government and with the private sector,

civil society and non-governmental organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

II. Algeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.2 Organization and management of the NEPAD focal point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.3 Decision-making and implementation process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112.4 Financing of NEPAD priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132.5 Consultative process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142.6 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

III. Nigeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193.2 Organization and management of the NEPAD focal point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203.3 Decision-making and implementation process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223.4 Financing of NEPAD priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233.5 Consultative process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233.6 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

IV. South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274.2 Organization and management of the NEPAD focal point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294.3 Decision-making and implementation process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314.4 Financing of NEPAD priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324.5 Consultative process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394.6 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

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FIGURES

1. Structure of NEPAD coordination and reporting arrangements in Algeria2. Structure of NEPAD coordination and reporting arrangements in Nigeria3. Nigeria NEPAD office: operational structure

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

ADB African Development BankAPC Communal People’s AssemblyAPRM African Peer Review MechanismAISA Africa Institute of South AfricaCNES National Economic and Social CouncilCSO civil-society organizationDFA Department of Foreign AffairsDFID Department of International DevelopmentECOWAS Economic Community of West African StatesGCIS Government Communications and Information ServiceGDP gross domestic productGEAR growth, employment and redistributionIDCC Interdepartmental Coordinating CommitteeIRPS International Relations, Peace and SecurityISS Institute for Security StudiesMDG Millennium Development GoalsMTEF medium-term expenditure frameworkNEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s DevelopmentNGO non-governmental organizationNPC National Planning CommissionOAU Organization of African UnityODA official development assistanceOECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentPPP purchasing power parityPRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy PaperRDP Reconstruction and Development ProgrammeSADC Southern African Development CommunitySSA Senior Special AssistantUGTA General Union of Algerian WorkersUNDAF United Nations Development Assistance FrameworkUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammeWAGP West African Gas PipelineWAPP West African Power PoolWSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development

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The implementation of the New Partnership forAfrica’s Development (NEPAD) is gathering speed.Maintaining the momentum, however, will dependto a great extent on the progress that is made in inte-grating NEPAD priorities into the national develop-ment process.

That such integration is important is underscored byone of the lessons learned from the implementation ofprevious plans of actions in Africa: in order to suc-ceed, regional development initiatives must beembedded in the national development process.

The General Assembly, in its resolution 57/7 of 4November 2002, recognized the importance of inte-gration in welcoming "the commitment of Africancountries to integrate the priorities of the NewPartnership for Africa’s Development into theirnational policies and development planning frame-works, to maintain full ownership and leadership indeveloping and utilizing such policies and frame-works, and to mobilize domestic resources in supportof the New Partnership".

Nearly three years have elapsed since NEPAD wasadopted at the Organization of African Unity (OAU)Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, in July 2001. Duringthis period, a number of African countries haveresponded to the need for integration of NEPAD pri-orities into the national development process toadvance their own as well as Africa’s development.The present report assesses the experience of threecountries: Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa.

The case studies, undertaken in the period betweenMay and December 2003, provide striking illustra-tions of the effort being made by African countries toimplement NEPAD. They reveal that several coun-tries have begun to make the adjustments necessaryto ensure that their policies and programmes arecompatible with NEPAD priorities. This bodes wellnot only for NEPAD but also for the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) inasmuch as NEPADhas incorporated the MDGs as part of its own long-

term goals. The studies find that many Governmentshave indeed made an effort to craft the linkagesbetween NEPAD and the MDGs, even though thiseffort might be uneven across countries concerned.

Integrating the priorities of NEPAD into nationaldevelopment is a painstaking, complex process thathas at least four main elements: (a) establishing insti-tutional arrangements, for example, a national focalpoint, to manage the process; (b) funding the priori-ties of NEPAD; (c) creating a mechanism for deci-sion-making and implementing the NEPAD pro-grammes or projects; and (d) mobilizing public andpolitical support for the priorities. Each country casestudy was organized around these main elements,which are critical to the successful implementation ofNEPAD itself and, more generally, to national devel-opment programmes.

There is no single right approach or best countryexperience that provides the key to integrating thepriorities of NEPAD into national developmentframeworks. For example, the country studies revealthree patterns in regard to the national focal points.The national focal point may be (a) located in theoffice of, or report directly to, the President; (b) con-stituted as an inter-ministerial or interdepartmentalcommittee in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; or (c) aNEPAD national office separate from the President’sadviser on NEPAD. In addition, in one country, theGovernment has established NEPAD taskteams/focal points in every government departmentin an effort to raise awareness of NEPAD priorities inthe national public service. There are countries notcovered by the studies that have located their nation-al focal points in the Ministry of Finance andPlanning or the Ministry of Regional Integration andNEPAD.

Notwithstanding the diversity of institutionalarrangements, various countries display certain com-mon characteristics. First, the institutional arrange-ments for the national focal points show that Africancountries have wisely decided to designate existing

FOREWORD

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government departments to serve as focal points, thusconserving scarce financial and institutional resourcesand greatly minimizing the problem of internal coor-dination in the implementation of NEPAD. Second,there is evidence of growing efforts concerning theinvolvement of, or consultation with, civil-societyorganizations and the private sector in implementingNEPAD, although the nature and scope of thisinvolvement vary greatly. Third, the Governments ofthe countries in the case studies are taking steps toraise awareness of NEPAD in the national publicservice, which is viewed as the frontline in the effortto win popular support and appreciation for the goalsand objectives of NEPAD.

The question, however, is: Why is integratingNEPAD priorities into the national developmentprocess important? Such integration would demon-strate the commitment of Governments to imple-menting NEPAD and convey their readiness to pur-sue and achieve NEPAD objectives. More impor-tantly, by providing needed funding for the NEPADpriorities, African Governments can signal the align-ment of the national budgetary expenditure patternwith NEPAD policy priorities.

Indeed, two frequently encountered criticisms of thepast African programmes or plans of actions were thatthey lacked credible, effective mechanisms for follow-up and implementation at the national level and those

African countries did not commit significant nationalbudgetary resources to those programmes. In themidst of such shortcomings, it was no surprise thatthose plans failed. However, African countries arenow committed to saving NEPAD from such a fate.

These case studies highlight the extent to whichAfrican Governments are making efforts to avoid themistakes made in the implementation of previousplans, but they also show that much still remains tobe done by African countries to embed NEPAD pri-orities deeply in the national development process.Closing the gap will require sustained focus on thesepriorities, enhanced institutional capacities, betterfunding for NEPAD programmes and strengthenedpublic-private partnership, including civil-societyinvolvement. All of these call for strong nationalleadership and enhanced commitment as well as sup-port by Africa’s development partners.

Ibrahim GambariUnder-Secretary-General and

Special Adviser on Africa


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This chapter provides a comparative summary of thethree case studies described in the present publica-tion. It highlights the common approaches as well asthe unique methods used in integrating NEPAD pri-orities into the national development process in thecase-study countries: Algeria, Nigeria and SouthAfrica. This summary is organized around four mainissues that are central to the integration of NEPADpriorities into the national development process.These are: (a) the organization of NEPAD focalpoints; (b) the mechanisms for decision-making andimplementing NEPAD in each country; (c) financialand budgetary allocations to NEPAD priorities; and(d) the consultative process initiated within govern-ment and with the private sector, civil society andnon-governmental organizations (NGOs).

1.1 Organization of NEPAD focalpoints

In Algeria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifical-ly, the Minister in charge of African and Maghrebaffairs, is the focal point for NEPAD within theGovernment and reports directly to the President ofthe Republic. He is assisted by a number of adviserswho coordinate and track the implementation of spe-cific issues. The focal point analyses national statis-tics on NEPAD priorities, makes recommendationsfor action to the various line ministries and then sum-marizes the actions taken in briefings to relevantministries on linking proposals to NEPAD priorities.An important aspect of the work of the focal point isto keep the Council of Ministers briefed on all issuesrelating to NEPAD.

In Nigeria, the NEPAD Nigeria office, headed by theSenior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President ofNigeria, was created to coordinate and implementNEPAD within the national context. The immediateobjectives of this office, in line with its role as thenational focal point, include, above all, popularizingthe NEPAD priority programme areas amongNigerians and facilitating the integration of NEPADprogrammes within sectoral policy-making andimplementation bodies in the country. To accomplishthese objectives, the office developed its plan of action

with a detailed programme of activities. Moreover,the President of Nigeria has appointed a PersonalRepresentative to the NEPAD Steering Committeewith responsibility for coordinating all continentaland international relations aspects of NEPAD.

Finally, in South Africa, the InterdepartmentalCoordinating Committee (IDCC) within theMinistry of Foreign Affairs is the focal point andumbrella coordinator for all NEPAD-related issues.In a novel approach, South Africa decided that all lev-els of government should have a sense of ownership ofNEPAD, so in addition to IDCC as a coordinatingand outreach focal point, a NEPAD focal point hasbeen appointed in each ministry to ensure broad-based, technical integration of all NEPAD priorities.

A review of the various NEPAD focal points indicatesthat all countries have accorded a high degree ofimportance and significance to NEPAD, placingfocal points either in the Ministry of Foreign Affairsor as an Adviser in the Office of the President.Moreover, almost all countries recognize the need toinvolve a variety of government offices and ministriesin NEPAD, signalling a commitment to deepeningthe awareness and appreciation of NEPAD in thepublic sector in the first instance.

1.2 Mechanisms for decision-makingand implementing NEPAD at thenational level

In Algeria, the economic recovery plan is a three-yearplan that forms an important basis for action andimplementation with respect to NEPAD. The con-tent of this Plan is not oriented solely towardsNEPAD priorities; rather, its broad outlines fit intothe overall scheme of priority areas determined byNEPAD, thus making it possible to translate some ofthe objectives into current government activities.While government practice also requires each minis-terial department to give effect to the objectives setout in the action programme, the Council ofGovernment, headed by the Head of Government, isresponsible for launching the programmes that havebeen presented, while incorporating in them, if neces-

I. OVERVIEW


sary, any specific and/or recommended clarifications,particularly in the context of implementing NEPAD.

In principle, Nigerian federal ministries and govern-ment agencies and their counterparts at the state andcouncil levels must comply with the priorities ofNEPAD in their planning, budgeting and projects.However, in practice, notwithstanding the recenteffort to ensure that all budgets and projects emanat-ing from them were NEPAD-compliant, internalgovernment coordination and consultation are justbeginning to take shape. The NEPAD Nigeria officewas established only in April 2002, which partlyexplains its limited reach.

In South Africa, Government is moving ahead withthe assimilation and incorporation of NEPAD into itsgovernance structures. This is having the effect of forc-ing all internal government departments and func-tionaries to include an outward focus: NEPAD conti-nental objectives. An elaborate planning frameworkand an intricate process of decision-making have beenintroduced so as to incorporate NEPAD fully into thefive-year strategic objectives set by Government.IDCC, tasked with the overall coordination, synchro-nization and harmonization functions with regard toNEPAD within the Government, requests all depart-ments to submit proposals for NEPAD high-impactand high-visibility projects; however, the various gov-ernment departments continue to make theirNEPAD-related inputs to the relevant sub-commit-tees. Most notably, the overall government process isorganized by priority cluster, and South African gov-ernment departments and IDCC seek to organizethemselves by NEPAD/MDG thematic focal point.

All three countries have been making efforts to integrateand implement NEPAD in specific ways and in line withthe actions taken by the focal points in their countries.The relative success or achievement of NEPAD integra-tion and implementation seems to reflect the specificapproach adopted by each country towards NEPAD.

1.3 Financial and budgetary allocations to NEPAD priorities

In Algeria, the Government has integrated NEPADpriorities into its short- and long-term development

plans. The short-term economic recovery plan for-mulated in 2001 and aimed at implementingNEPAD will cost approximately $7 billion. Thearrangement for the financing of national priorities,including NEPAD priorities, particularly when itcomes to infrastructure, education, health, agricul-ture or the environment, is assumed on a day-to-daybasis by the budgetary resources (both operating andcapital budgets) of the ministries concerned.

Like Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa do not have aconsolidated budget system for NEPAD priorities.Instead, budgetary allocations for the priority sectorsin NEPAD are integrated into the capital expendi-ture of the budgets of the respective ministries. Nocountry, therefore, has a system for a consolidatedbudget summary for NEPAD priorities.

The obvious advantage of a single, consolidatedbudget summary for NEPAD priorities is that it pro-vides, at a glance, the overall financial outlay for allNEPAD priorities, allowing for a quick comparisonof the share of the budget devoted to these priorities.Such a summary also removes second-guessing aboutwhether a particular item in the capital budget fallsinto the category of what a Government defines as aNEPAD priority. As the implementation of NEPADmoves forward, African Governments that have a sys-tem of consolidated investment or capital expendi-ture budget may wish to consider making a summa-ry of the financial outlay for NEPAD priorities with-in their budgetary frameworks.

At the time of the study, none of the three countriesreported receiving any funds from the NEPADRegional Secretariat for funding their nationalNEPAD activities or priorities. With regard to con-tributions of external donors, only South Africareported having the financial support of donors forNGOs working on NEPAD.

1.4 Consultative process within government and with the privatesector, civil society and NGOs

In Algeria, to help to facilitate consultations with-in the Government, an adviser responsible forNEPAD affairs in the Presidency of the Republickeeps abreast of all information and data regarding

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NEPAD, though he lacks immediate decision-making power. Dialogue with workers is conduct-ed through the General Union of Algerian Workers(UGTA), while the Government holds tripartitemeetings involving representatives of privateemployers. Dialogue with civil society and NGOsis encouraged by the Government, which is com-mitted to promoting dialogue with them regardingtheir eventual involvement in government activi-ties and the value-added that they could bring tothe whole society.

In Nigeria, the consultative process on NEPAD with-in government regarding the application of NEPADpriorities in planning and budgeting appears to beevolving slowly. The ministries did not have theframework for the guidelines for applying the priori-ties of the regional initiative, and there is as yet nodirect consultation between the NEPAD Nigeriaoffice and the heads of national government agencies.The consultative process at the state level has notbegun. However, there is a plan for the campaign todraw in State and local government structures andactors. As for engaging the private sector and civilsociety for NEPAD, the work in progress. For exam-ple, the NEPAD Nigeria office is working to createeffective platforms (e.g., NEPAD Nigeria BusinessGroup) specifically for the engagement of the privatesector.

In South Africa, internal government co-ordinationand consultation are beginning to take shape, withNEPAD enjoying priority attention at the highestlevels of South African government. It is being fac-tored into planning from the Cabinet level down tothe local government level, and the Government isalso starting to draw in provincial and local govern-ment structures and actors.

Moreover, the Government has established a closerelationship with all government-owned companies,and there has been a considerable amount of dialogueand engagement by businesses in general on NEPADissues – albeit disappointment about the lack of prop-er consultation with Government among many pri-vate-sector entities. In so far as NGOs are concerned,there has been little consultation between theGovernment and NGOs, and plans are afoot to makeroom for formal civil-society participation in theIDCC coordination structure.

Overall, there is evidence of growing efforts toinvolve or consult with civil-society organizations(CSOs) and the private sector in implementingNEPAD, although the nature and scope of thisinvolvement vary greatly.



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2.1 Introduction

The founding documents of NEPAD establish theexplicit aim of this African initiative: it is to serveas a tool for the mobilization of political will on theAfrican continent and of technical and financialsupport from the rest of the world. The initiativecannot replace the responsibility of individualStates for the well-being of their people or theirdevelopment plans, programmes and projectslaunched with their own and/or external resources.The NEPAD priorities must therefore be integrat-ed into the development processes of African coun-tries as a means of supporting and enhancing theexisting potential of each country. This case studypresents an outline of the Algerian experience inthis area and the arrangements made for incorpo-rating the various objectives of NEPAD into thenational development process.

2.1.1 Overview of the economic andsocial situation

Algeria is a middle-income country, with an averageper capita income of $1,770, or $5,038 in purchasingpower parity terms. A constant improvement in itshuman development index has been observed inrecent years, amounting to 36 points between 1995and 2001, yet with an index of 0.704 in 2001, thecountry ranked 107th in the world.1

The Algerian economy is dependent mainly on thehydrocarbon sector, which accounts for 97 per cent ofexport receipts, 60 per cent of government revenueand 30 per cent of the gross domestic product(GDP), which was estimated at $54.7 billion in2001. The agriculture sector, which has contributedabout 11 per cent of the GDP over the past 15 years,has been constantly growing since the 1970s and hasseen tangible results in the past two years in terms ofjob creation; however, it has been affected by season-al drought cycles. The Government has made sub-stantial efforts to optimize the availability of hydroresources and to improve their management. These

efforts have resulted in the improvement of access tosafe drinking water.

The economy grew at an average rate of 3.3 per centin the period 1995-2000 and 4.2 per cent in 2002.This performance was insufficient to allow for adecrease in the unemployment rate, which stood at27.3 per cent in 2001, or to reverse the decline in theGDP per capita, which showed an average annualdecrease of 3.4 per cent in the 1990s.

The country has recently achieved significantimprovements in its external balances, mainly as aresult of higher oil prices in recent years, creating asurplus in its foreign exchange reserves of more than$22 billion at the end of 2002. Debt service as a per-centage of exports has also declined – to less than 20per cent in 2002. To support the economic recovery,fight unemployment and optimize the use of excep-tional oil receipts, the Algerian authorities launcheda triennial public expenditure programme (2001-2003) in April 2001. The programme aims at givingimpetus to reforms, supporting agriculture and fish-eries, launching large infrastructure projects, includ-ing the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure, anddeveloping human resources.2

The social welfare budget is covered by budgetaryallocations and other transfers that average 12 percent of GDP.3 However, the share of total governmentexpenditure represented by the social sectors (educa-tion, health, insurance) fell from 23.4 per cent in1993 to 17.9 per cent in 2000. A recent study showsthat health expenditure rose to 4 per cent of GDP in2002,4 but this is far below the average recorded inprevious years5.

1Human Development Report 2003. Algeria is in the firstthird of the group of countries with medium human devel-opment.

2Clearly, there is a strong correlation between the prioritiesof this government economic recovery plan and the ninecomponents of NEPAD.

3Budgetary spending on health in the narrow senseaccounted for 9.64 per cent of GDP in 2001, according toCNES data; in addition, there are household expendituresthat are covered by social security and others that are not.

4Study of health accounting, Ministry of Health. An accountof this study was published in the local press on 8 July2003. See, among others, that day’s issue of El Watan, thenational independent daily paper.

5On average, 8 per cent of GDP.

II. ALGERIA


In the field of education, the democratization poli-cy has led to progress, especially for girls. The netprimary enrolment rates exceed 95 per cent forboth girls and boys, with higher rates for the for-mer in secondary and university schools, wheregirls represent over 52 per cent of the enrolment atboth levels.6

Significant disparities exist, however, in rural areas,where in some cases, the enrolment rate for girlsbarely reaches 30 per cent. This situation has animpact on the adult female illiteracy rate. Forexample, for the 15- to 24-year-old age group, theaverage female illiteracy rate varies from 2.86 percent in Algiers to 46 per cent in Djelfa, a medium-sized city in the Saharan Atlas.

With regard to health care, the completely free sys-tem of medical care and other social benefits and theestablishment of many health posts throughout thecountry have led to considerable improvement inreproductive health, with more than 90 per cent ofbirths taking place in a medically assisted environ-ment. Infant and infant and child mortality rates fellconsiderably over a 10-year period, to 38.8 per thou-sand and 34.5 per thousand, respectively, in 2000.7

Illnesses such as tuberculosis and malaria have beenpractically eradicated.8

Despite the efforts made by the Algerian authoritiesto strengthen the health care system and in spite ofthe improvement of the security climate, access tohealth services by the poor remains problematic.This situation is explained by the insufficient publicresources allocated to the sector in the 1990s, thesubstantial increase in drug prices,9 the decline in the

quality of public health services, and the populationdisplacements triggered by terrorism.

2.1.2 Importance of NEPAD as anengine of growth

Since independence, the economic policy of Algeria hassought to fulfil the economic, commercial and finan-cial hopes raised during the country’s struggle to recov-er its national sovereignty. The four-year and five-yearplans implemented during the 1970s and 1980s hadgenerally aimed at building an autonomous economicbase that would allow for improved coordination oftrade with the rest of the world, better living condi-tions for the people and the preservation of the coun-try’s natural resources for future generations.

This dynamic was interrupted when the oil marketssuffered from severe price shocks in 1985-1986. Thissituation led Algeria to initiate a vast programme ofeconomic and social institutional reforms, whichaimed to limit the dependence of the public sector onthe hydrocarbon sector and to lessen the vulnerabili-ty of the latter to price fluctuations. The reforms alsoincluded the promotion of the private sector, includ-ing small- and medium-sized enterprises, and thedevelopment of agriculture. At the same time, ananalysis of foreign trade flows also revealed that therewas little opportunity for trade other than with thecountries of the Organisation for Economic Co-oper-ation and Development, making the search for alter-native strategic partnerships – especially in the direc-tion of Africa – all the more necessary.

Having long advocated a new international economicorder, Algeria attended the meeting of those involvedin the new dynamic that led to the establishment ofNEPAD in 2001. The President of Algeria, AbdelazizBouteflika, was chosen by his peers to join PresidentsThabo Mbeki of South Africa, Olesegun Obasanjo ofNigeria and Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal in bringingthe movement to the world’s attention.

In that context, all Governments10 that have takensuccessive responsibility for Algerian affairs of Statesince 2001 have immediately incorporated the key

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6Algerian Ministry of Education, and United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO), Education for All (EFA) Global MonitoringReport 2000.

7According to data from the Pan Arab Project for FamilyHealth (PAPFAM) survey in 2002. Figures from a surveyconducted 10 years earlier in similar conditions (Pan ArabProject for Child Health, or PAPCHILD survey) show arate of 48.6 per thousand for infant and child mortalityand 43.7 per thousand for infant mortality.

8Rates of new cases dropped from 150 per 100,000 justafter independence to 22.7 per 100,000 in 1995, with aslight rise since 1996, which has led to the launching ofa new plan to fight tuberculosis.

9The combined result of an increase in world prices andthe depreciation of the Algerian dinar, triggered by the1994 devaluation.

10Charged with carrying out the programme of thePresident of the Republic.


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ideas developed in the context of NEPAD into theirprogrammes. It was in this spirit that the economicrecovery plan was formulated in April 2001; it is nowthe basis for the State’s short-term activities aimed atimplementing NEPAD. This plan,11 whose total costwill approach $7 billion, is complemented by thenational agricultural development plan.

With regard to governance and institutional reforms,several actions and ambitious programmes were initi-ated by the Algerian authorities before the launchingof the African initiative. These activities, which arein line with NEPAD objectives, have been based onthe outcome of the work of large national commis-sions. The commissions have debated issues concern-ing the reform of the justice system, the educationalsystem and State institutions.

In that context in particular, human resource traininghas been the subject of intense discussions, with aview to making schools a place for developing allfacets of the personality, from preparing Algerians forcivic activities to awakening their minds to scientificknowledge and international affairs. It became appar-ent, especially during the course of discussions aboutNEPAD,12 that this process should be continuedwithout delay or improvisation by taking a methodi-cal approach to its various components, namely, basicand advanced training, updating teaching tools andprogrammes, providing access to computer technolo-gy, encouraging the teaching of scientific and techni-cal disciplines, and promoting the study of the lin-guistic, historical and cultural heritage.

2.1.3 Relationship between theNEPAD priorities and the MDGs

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000,world leaders, most of whom were from the Africancontinent,13 reiterated the major goals of internation-al action, including eradicating extreme poverty andhunger by 2015 and substantially improving basicsocio-economic indicators relating to children, healthand the environment. These leaders also set mini-mum standards for the development of a mutuallybeneficial global partnership for all countries.14 At

that time, however, on the verge of a new era charac-terized by accelerated globalization and its promisingprospects, Africa continued to be the only region thatpresented such a gloomy picture of the future.

The collective vision of African leaders, in particular ofPresidents Bouteflika, Mbeki, Obasanjo and Wade,allows the main courses of action of NEPAD to beorganized around the following objectives: (a) to pro-mote sustainable economic growth and development;(b) to eradicate poverty; (c) to empower women; and(d) to end the marginalization of Africa within theframework of globalization. The priorities of NEPADare easily reconciled with the MDG targets and indi-cators. NEPAD and the MDGs thus constitute ananalytical framework for the actions and results ofpublic policies undertaken by the Governments.

In the case of Algeria, the key measures and policylines implemented for the past three decades by itssuccessive Governments fit in well with the frame-work defined at the African and world levels.

At the national level, reforms of State institutions,together with initiatives focused on human develop-ment and the national rural and agricultural develop-ment and economic recovery plans, are among thesteps taken by the Government of Algeria to achievethe MDGs and the goals of NEPAD. Such initiativesare being supplemented by internal and externalactions aimed at mobilizing more resources and gain-ing further market access. In the past three years,these actions have been geared towards modernizingthe justice system, improving the effectiveness of thetax and customs system, upgrading banks and finan-cial institutions, and overhauling programmes andstructures at all levels of education.

2.2 Organization and management ofthe NEPAD focal point

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and more specificallythe Minister responsible for African and Maghrebaffairs, is the focal point for all actions and initiativesconcerning NEPAD. This member of the Government

11See sect ion 2.1.3 for a description of its contents.12National seminar, held on 21-22 January 2002.13President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was present.

14The Human Development Report 2003, which dealsspecifically with the MDGs, was presented for the firsttime in Africa on the occasion of the Summit of Heads ofState and Government of the African Union, held inMaputo, Mozambique, in early July 2003.


10

is assisted by advisers, including a principal adviser, inpromoting and coordinating all activities linked to theAfrican initiative (see figure 1 below).

The focal point has national jurisdiction, that is, itmay act on all projects that form part of the nationaldevelopment policy and that may be coordinatedwith, or complement, NEPAD projects. It keepstrack of national development priorities and ensuresall possible complementarities and synergies withthose of the African initiative. It deals with externalrelations and ensures interaction with Algerian andcontinental or international institutions.

The Minister responsible for African and Maghrebaffairs and his advisers are currently in charge of gath-ering relevant data from all the national and Africanparties concerned, processing the data and preparingareas of action to fit in with the agendas of national,African and international meetings dealing withNEPAD. The staff comprises three advisers, aided bya technical staff, or 12 persons at the time of thestudy. This focal point has the dual role of providingboth consultations and expertise. The staff memberspromote, elaborate, prepare and follow up actionsrelating to NEPAD and coordinate the activities ofother parties to the initiative (including ministries,

Figure 1.

Structure of NEPAD coordination and reporting arrangements in Algeria

President of the Republic

MinistriesMinistry forAfrican and

Maghreb affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Council of MinistersNEPAD

Secretariat(Johannesburg)

Adviser

Advisers and Staff

Solid Line: indicates relationships of authorityDotted line: indicates functional relationships


11

firms, project execution agencies and CSOs). In thisscheme, each technical ministry contributes to theareas of action of the Minister responsible for Africanand Maghreb affairs on the subject of NEPADdepending on its own priorities (see also section 2.3on decision-making and implementation).

The focal point analyses the data, summarizes theactions taken and gives an expert opinion to theauthorities concerned with respect to linking propos-als to NEPAD priorities, bearing in mind thatAlgeria has agreed to support all these priorities.

In the domestic implementation process, actionsenvisaged within the framework of NEPAD are notconsidered to be special issues in the internal imple-mentation process of the country. They become pri-orities as soon as they are incorporated into nationaldevelopment plans, programmes or projects. Theythen receive the necessary financing, whether it isnational, bilateral or multilateral.

The focal point is an important element in the har-monization of NEPAD priorities with those estab-lished by national economic policy. With a view tocost-effectiveness and economic and social efficiency,it also ensures consistency between the projects to beimplemented as part of the African initiative andthose that are part of national development. Thus thefocal point influences the economic policy of thecountry by monitoring consistency and ensuring thatnational projects benefit from subregional or conti-nental projects carried out under NEPAD andfinanced by the international donor community.

The Minister responsible for African and Maghrebaffairs reports directly to the President and notifiesthe Council of Government and the Council ofMinisters15 of actions and initiatives envisagedwithin this framework. The relevant decisions,once they have been taken, are scheduled for imple-mentation in the work programme of each ministryconcerned. It is thus easy to see the potential influ-

ence on decision-making that the focal point canhave through this process.

The budget of the focal point is part of the expendi-ture of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, like all othercurrent operations. The technical ministries (publicworks, agriculture and others) are responsible undertheir own budgets for the financial implications ofthe actions and initiatives of NEPAD relating to theirsectors, in terms of the capital budget in the case ofbudgetary resources or in terms of other financingmodalities, where appropriate.

2.3 Decision-making andimplementation process

As a result of the way in which the Government ofAlgeria is currently organized, the major economicand social choices are highlighted in the electoral pro-gramme that the President of the Republic,Abdelaziz Bouteflika, presented when he was a can-didate in 1999.16 It constitutes the doctrinal frame ofreference for government action and was presented tothe National People’s Assembly and the NationalCouncil in the form of a programme of action whenthe Government was sworn in.17

The programme comprises the broad outlines of theactivities planned for the different economic andsocial sectors. The current programme is dividedinto six sections that cover the major policy areasnot only at the national level but also at the conti-nental and global levels. The most important ofthese with respect to NEPAD are:18 (a) the majorareas of reform (governance, economic reforms andthe education system, rural development and newinformation and communication technologies); (b)human development (hospital reform, fightingunemployment, national solidarity and the status ofwomen); (c) sustainable development (land-useplanning, housing, water and the environment); and(d) external policy.

15The Council of Government, meeting under the chairman-ship of the Head of Government, considers the dossiers anddecides on actions that do not require the intervention of thePresident. The Council of Ministers considers those dossiersthat require a decision by the President of the Republic,especially in respect of draft laws to be referred to theNational Assembly.

16However, there is no published document explicitly set-ting out this programme.

17The present Government, led by Mr. Ahmed Ouyahia, hadits programme approved at the end of May 2003.

18The interested reader can refer to the government depart-ment web site www.cg.gov.dz.


Furthermore, the establishment of a medium-termplan with statistics has been abandoned ever since thestructural adjustment programme that was support-ed by the International Monetary Fund and theWorld Bank between 1994 and 1998. As a result,major government activities are decided in relation tothe implementation of the capital and operatingbudgets, which has become biannual.19

There is, however, a three-year plan, the economicrecovery plan, which is being implemented, and itsbroad outlines fit into the overall scheme of priorityareas determined by NEPAD. This has made it possi-ble to translate some of the objectives into current gov-ernment activities, the general outlines of which are setout in the government programme of action, namely:

• Support for economic reforms (banks, customs,taxation, commercial code) and institutionalreforms (justice, central and local administration,education, health);

• Support for agriculture, rural development and fish-eries as sectors that generate jobs and income as part ofthe general fight against unemployment and poverty;

• Development of infrastructure, particularly theEast-West Highway and the Trans-SaharaHighway and rehabilitation of infrastructure, espe-cially through the launching of large-scale con-struction of cooperative and low-cost housing andprogrammes to eliminate slums; and

• Development of human resources in relation to thereform of the education system at all levels, hospitalreform, strengthening of vocational training, andthe promotion of democracy and human rights.

It should also be pointed out that government practicerequires each ministerial department to give effect —on its own account and with a multi-year perspective— to the objectives set out in the action programmeadopted after the Government was sworn in.

This is the context in which specific activities in cer-tain sectors (such as telecommunications, teachingand research) as well as those activities linked to themajor roads infrastructure or hydrocarbon transport,

are defined sector by sector. This is done by breakingdown the government action programme into itscomponent parts, since it is drawn up and presentedto Parliament in a global format.

Under this scheme, each sector seeks the resources itneeds to implement the component parts of the pro-gramme for which it is responsible, along with thefinancing institutions that either come under theMinistry of Finance (Budget and Treasury) or are part ofthe banking system. The Ministry of Finance certifiesand estimates the resources necessary for the investmentbudget or when public assistance flows are mobilized.As for commercial resources, they are freely negotiatedby the public or private20 economic agents concerned.

The programmes thus drawn up are then presentedfor intergovernmental technical discussion at thecivil-servant level and, where necessary, are subject toexamination in greater depth and then approval by aninter-ministerial council or even by the entireCouncil of Government. The latter, chaired by theHead of Government, takes the final decision on themajor programmes, based on their content andaccording to the components that are presented bythe minister in charge of said programmes.

It is the responsibility of the Council of Government tolaunch the programmes that have been presented whileincorporating into them, if need be, any specific and/orrecommended clarifications and profiles, particularlywithin the framework of the implementation ofNEPAD.

Whenever required by the decision-making process,this can be followed up by a final decision of theCouncil of Ministers, chaired by the Head of State.21

It falls to the Government again, however, throughthe relevant ministry, to monitor the conditions ofimplementation.

12

19The State budget is adjusted twice a year because of theuncertainties that can affect it, particularly with regard tooil, and the need to fine-tune the budget.

20Nowadays the latter are active in the telecommunicationssector and will soon probably be required to become activein the transport infrastructure sector: motorways and portand airport free zones. The electricity production sector isalso open to private operators. The same holds true forsome parts of the mining industry and also, very recently,the education field, including university education.

21This is particularly true of bills submitted to Parliamentor of decisions with international implications, includingthose linked to the implementation of NEPAD.


13

The investment decisions become part of the govern-ment programme and/or the programme of the rele-vant ministries and are translated into projectsaccompanied by the necessary financing programmes.The decisions are then reflected at all the lower levelsand their implementation is followed up on theground by the devolved departments of the min-istries, namely, the technical administrations of thewilayat (provinces), when the projects involve theallocation of public resources.

As regards ODA, Algeria, a medium-income coun-try, is not expected to prepare a Poverty ReductionStrategy Paper (PRSP), which often serves as a glob-al framework for the mobilization of multilateral orbilateral resources. However, there is a frameworkplan for development assistance for the period 2002-2006, the United Nations Development AssistanceFramework (UNDAF), drawn up by the UnitedNations and adopted by the Ministry of ForeignAffairs. This document does not, however, serve as anexplicit reference for the actions of governmentauthorities. In July 2003, the World Bank publisheda document entitled the "Country AssistanceStrategy",22 and the report on the MDGs is in theprocess of being adopted by the national authorities.

At the same time, there is at present no documentcompiled by the Algerian authorities giving a statis-tical and detailed presentation of the programmesthat could serve as a concrete manifestation of theframework defined by NEPAD. The exception is thetriennial economic recovery plan mentioned earlier,the content of which could not, by nature, be explic-itly oriented solely towards NEPAD priorities.Action geared towards NEPAD is part of currentgovernment programmes.

In this case, the financial resources allocated to activ-ities that can be said, at the appropriate level,23 to fallwithin the framework of the implementation ofNEPAD (e.g., the fibre optic link between Nigeriaand Algeria, the construction of the Algerian sectionof the oil pipeline linking Abuja and Beni Saf or the

Trans-Sahara Highway) appear in the State invest-ment budget as part of the finance bill.

2.4 Financing of NEPAD priorities

As described in section 1.2, NEPAD priorities arefirst integrated as national priorities into the variousdevelopment planning frameworks, such as the three-year economic recovery plan, the national rural andagricultural development plan or any other nationalplan or programme.

The financing of the Trans-Sahara Highway, whichcould be incorporated into the corridor of the Algiers-Lagos Trans-African Highway, falls within thepurview of the Algerian authorities through theMinistry of Public Works, which is responsible forbuilding roads and highways. Financing of theAlgerian section up to In Guezzam (i.e., 300 km out ofa total of 3,327 km) is being obtained from severalnational, bilateral, multilateral and other sources offunding. The same will be true for the future 1,200-kilometre East-West Highway, which is to become thenational segment of the great continental project tobuild a road from Cairo to Dakar. The latter was pro-posed as a NEPAD project to be financed by the inter-national donor community, with some sections of ordi-nary existing roads to be upgraded to motorways andothers, such as the Nouadhibou-Nouakchott missinglink in Mauritania, to be built from scratch.

Similarly, the fibre optic cable link between Algeriaand Nigeria, which will be integrated with theTrans-Sahara Highway and the gas pipeline projectin order to facilitate construction, operation andmaintenance, is one of the projects that come underthe Ministries of Telecommunications and Energy,respectively, with each ministry dealing with itsspecific concerns. The financing arrangements forthe projects will be the same as those for the Trans-Sahara Highway.

Accordingly, parts of these projects will appear in thecapital budgets of the relevant ministries while otherswill be part of the budgets of national developmentplans or even be the subject of joint financing packagesdrawn up by partner countries of the projects. Allfinancing under NEPAD is regarded by the authoritiesas welcome and desirable but would only be supple-mentary to investments agreed to by the State.

22The “Country Assistance Strategy”, announced publicly inJune 2003 following its presentation to the GoverningBoard of the World Bank, is being widely distributed in thecountry; it is also available on the World Bank web site.

23The President of the Republic, the Minister for ForeignAffairs or the Minister responsible for African andMaghreb affairs.


14

National initiatives, programmes and projects arerequired to be in harmony with NEPAD priorities soas to benefit Algeria, the subregion and the continentat the same time. Thus, it would be accurate to statethat national development priorities interlink withthe NEPAD process. In other words, national devel-opment projects and programmes – as well as sectoralreforms more generally – and NEPAD priorities aremutually beneficial.

At the national seminar on NEPAD held in Algiersin January 2002, Algeria agreed upon a synthesis ofpriorities that had been compiled on the basis of thenine priorities initially adopted in the context of theinitiative and that could require particular attentionfrom Algeria in terms of assuming responsibility forit, substantive content and financing. Four main areasof activity emerged from the synthesis:

• maintenance, re-establishment and consolidationof peace and security;

• development of infrastructures;

• mobilization of financial resources for develop-ment; and

• development of human resources.

In this context, responsibility for the financing ofnational priorities, which constitutes one of theNEPAD priorities, particularly when it comes toinfrastructures, education, health, agriculture or theenvironment, is assumed on a day-to-day basis by thebudgetary resources (both operating and capitalbudgets) of the ministries concerned, except in caseswhere these sectors benefit from special developmentplans or exceptional allocations. This has been thecase with the public works sector, the roads subsectorof which received 1,250 million Algerian dinars froma national roads and motorways fund in 2002.

In this connection, it might be recalled that, from 2000to 2003, capital expenditure allocated to the agricul-ture, telecommunications, roads, education and healthsectors increased by 16 per cent, 700 per cent, 190 percent, 66 per cent and 187 per cent, respectively.

As for human resources, there has been a continualincrease in operating expenditure for the primary and

secondary education, higher education, vocationaltraining and health sectors. Between 2000 and 2003,these grew by 25 per cent, 46 per cent, 45 per centand 44.7 per cent, respectively, in absolute termswhereas their relative share of the total operatingbudget stabilized at around 27 per cent. Of course,for these specific sectors, staff salaries represent thekey element in terms of benefit to the population andare also the biggest budget item. This fact bears outpublic statements to the effect that making full use ofhuman resources should be a priority policy area forthe country’s development, which is in accordancewith NEPAD objectives.

2.5 Consultation process

The consultation process within central governmentadministrations was described earlier24 and will notbe re-examined here. However, mention should bemade of the existence of an adviser responsible forNEPAD affairs in the Presidency of the Republic.This adviser keeps abreast of all information and dataregarding the NEPAD initiative on behalf of thePresident and his departments but does not have anyimmediate decision-making power concerning theissues in question.

When it comes to concerted action with decentral-ized entities, because Algeria is organized adminis-tratively as a unitary State, the 48 wilayat (provinces)making up the country are not autonomous entitiesbut simply decentralized institutions. However, thereare Popular Wilaya Assemblies, which are electedbodies providing views on the budget and on localdevelopment options. The wilaya is headed by a wali,or governor, and comprises executive departmentswhose directors are the local representatives of centralministries, depending on the configuration of theGovernment at any given time.

The country is also subdivided into 1,541 communes.Each commune is headed by the president of theCommunal People’s Assembly (APC), who is electedfor a five-year term at the same time as the members ofthe local executive. Although the president of an APCis from a political party, the president also becomes therepresentative of the central power at the local level

24See section 2.3.


15

once elected. The president is subject to the supervi-sion of the wali. In this context, concerted action onmajor decisions tends to take the form of discussions ofways and means of implementing important decisionsthat have been taken at the central level.

Local authorities are, however, empowered to makeproposals, which, particularly if there is no estab-lished local system of taxation, will see the light ofday only if they fall within the major national policyimperatives and are translated into annual sectoralbudgets from which the benefits devolve in practicalterms to the local levels.

As for joint action with partners, the following pointsshould be borne in mind:

• From among the social partners, consultation withworkers’ representatives is carried out mainly withUGTA, which is the most important trade union.Other, more sectoral unions exist, especially in thesectors of the civil service and higher education,but they are not regarded as sufficiently represen-tative.25 Consequently, consultations are held onwhat might be called a bipartite basis in a bodyformed to bring together the Government andUGTA. The latest discussions seem to have beencarried out in a relatively calm atmosphere in viewof the Government’s declared concern that itwould deal with the trade unionists’ grievances,particularly in terms of preserving civil service jobsand raising the minimum wage. However, differ-ences in points of view remain between theGovernment and the social partners, especiallyregarding the pace and nature of the privatizationprocess.

• When circumstances require it, a tripartite meet-ing is arranged involving representatives of privateemployers. It is worth noting that this partner rep-resents five organizations, which are strong com-petitors of one another. The holding of formal tri-partite meetings is not a regular occurrence andmeetings are announced months in advance. Thismeans that the employers’ positions on currenttopics are expressed separately by each of theorganizations and mainly through articles, inter-

views or press conferences by various employers’representatives. In recent years, the proposals havefocused mostly on the principle of a social growthpact,26 exchange losses, relations with the centraladministration and the struggle against the spreadof the informal economy. Under current condi-tions, there is no established practice of bilateralmeetings between the Government and one or theother of the employers’ organizations, or all ofthem together.

• The Government encourages the development ofCSOs and NGOs and is committed to promotingdialogue with them regarding their eventualinvolvement in government activities and the value-added they could bring to society. However, certaindifferences in points of view remain. This is proba-bly owing both to the novelty and to the intrusionof these organizations into the area of charitable andcommunity action, to their degree of representation(which is sometimes limited to a few particularlyactive members), and finally to the inexperience ofthe administration in dealing with such entities,whether they are Algerian or foreign. Things seemto be evolving slowly, however, since the law onassociations permits the establishment of as manyentities as are desired or as there are interests to bedefended, the number and role of CSOs and NGOsare increasing,27 and their capacity for representationis having an ever-increasing impact on the otherpartners, such as Government, trade unions, privateemployers and development partners.

• The National Economic and Social Council(CNES) is worthy of special mention as a body inwhich joint consultation takes place. An officialinstitution but one that is independent of theGovernment, CNES comprises representatives oftrade unions, employers, NGOs, the administra-tion and selected ex officio experts. Its mission is toenlighten decision-makers through studies,

26Of which CNES has become one of the promoters and forwhich the President of the Republic has expressed a desireon a number of occasions.

27According to Ministry of the Interior figures, there aremore than 59,000 of them in the country, with objectivessuch as cultural development, ecology and environmentalprotection, sport, education, the promotion of employ-ment and astrology, as well as charitable associations.Some have links with political parties, although the vastmajority is apolitical, and all are non-profit-making.According to the same source, there are almost 900 asso-ciations that are national in scope.

25And they have more frequent recourse to strike action asa way of expressing their members’ demands.


reports and opinions in the social and economicfields. These sessions present work that is oftenauthoritative and the holding of these meetings isfollowed with interest at the national and interna-tional levels. However, publication of the work28

does not always have an effect since the documentsconcerned are merely consultative in nature.29

• It is worth noting that in this context, theGovernment and its economic and social partnersagreed upon the principle of elaborating andimplementing a National Pact for Growth. Sincethe adoption of the 1989 Constitution, Algeria hasbeen a multiparty regime. Political debate is a real-ity within the country’s political institutions, espe-cially in the parliament, where different politicaltendencies are expressed. Other legal political par-ties are not in the parliament but are able toexpress their views through public gatherings,publications or the press. However, relationsbetween all political actors can be strained or evenantagonistic, including within the governmentcoalition. In the 1990s, several meetings withpolitical parties took place to debate the globalorganization of society, and notably to look forways to solve the crisis existing at that time.Important public actions are currently discussedduring the presentation of the government pro-gramme that accompanies every cabinet inaugura-tion or through general press debates.

• In fact, a very wide range of views and contributionsfrom political parties (government or the opposi-tion) or opinions, studies or analyses put forward byindependent experts or reproduced from foreignpublications, are often published in the privatepress,30 which, in Algeria, enjoys a freedom particu-larly noteworthy among countries in the Arab Statesregion and in the developing world in general.31

• Relations with donors are part of long-term strate-gies and are conceived and implemented withinthe framework of consultation arrangements thatare specific to the agreements and protocols con-cluded with each donor. Bilateral partnerships are

by nature rooted more in underlying commercialor political interests, whereas relations with multi-lateral donors remain distant, since the notion ofODA is viewed quite differently from the way inwhich it is regarded in many other countries of thecontinent, owing to the tradition of the strugglefor liberation in general and the level of resourcesavailable for the development of the country.Consultations with NGOs participating in devel-opment financing and/or management are a novel-ty and take place only infrequently.

In these circumstances, such consultations on devel-opment aid policy as may exist tend to be initiated bythe international institutions themselves32 or arisefrom special relations among bilateral donors. Theyare occurring with increasing frequency among vari-ous European governments in the context of theEuro-Mediterranean Partnership or because the indi-vidual countries that provide finance wish to opti-mize their efforts by seeking synergies with other for-eign partners active in the same sector.

2.6 ConclusionThe public authorities are genuinely determined toincorporate NEPAD priorities into the variousaspects of national development. This is reflected inthe substantial headway already made on strengthen-ing economic and corporate governance, whetherthrough the introduction of an institutional and/orregulatory structure (framework laws on agriculture,energy, etc.), the establishment of permanent consul-tations with bipartite and tripartite social partners, orthe willingness to improve the business climate andenvironment by reforming the commercial code,local taxes, customs code or access to credit and

16

28Now available online at www.cnes.dz.29Mention should also be made of the establishment –

announced in September 2003 – of the NationalConsultative Council for Small and Medium-sizedEnterprises, a consultative body vis-à-vis the Minister forSmall and Medium-sized Enterprises that brings togethera number of entities, including the large employers’ organ-izations.

30There are more than 60 (often daily) newspapers and mag-azines in Arabic and French.

31There are, however, repeated disputes between the pressand various economic and political circles.32Algeria is not a PRSP country and there is no need for a

coordinated international drive against poverty, althoughplans along the lines of a World Bank Country AssistanceStrategy or an UNDAF have been published. TheGovernment and institutions within the United Nationssystem are jointly drafting the report on the MDGs. It hasalso been announced that, in the near future, a shared data-base will be set up by United Nations agencies and theGovernment to provide greater insight into socio-econom-ic requirements, mainly for the benefit of children(DevInfo based on the Childinfo software developed by theUnited Nations Children’s Fund).


17

industrial land. In addition, Algeria was one of theinitiators of the African Peer Review Mechanism(APRM) and fully subscribes to it, since it believes inthe virtues of transparency and accountability.

The authorities of the country are devoting particularattention to and are spotlighting NEPAD priorityareas, especially agriculture, finance and the socialsectors (education, health, water and sanitation, theenvironment), which are vital for the development ofhuman resources, one of the pillars of the NEPADinitiative. Two major reforms – of the educational andhealth systems – were launched in 2003 after muchpreparation.

All the main development themes that are of concernto national economic actors, decision-makers anddevelopment partners are the subject of direct consul-tations and intense, repeated debate, where opposingideas are expounded by the stakeholders, especially bymeans of the private press. Major decisions involvingthe nation’s resources and future are discussed by Stateinstitutions (Council of Ministers, Council ofGovernment, National Assembly, National Council33

and National Economic and Social Council) and also,to some extent, with both sides of industry, especiallywith the trade union confederation.

As far as the effectiveness of the national focal pointis concerned, its centrality enables it to monitor andcoordinate NEPAD management mechanisms and toproffer advice and opinions to ensure that nationalpriorities are in line with those of the NEPADprocess and that they can fully serve the developmentof Algeria and the whole continent.

At the same time, the financial resources mobilized tomeet the needs of national development priorities con-

comitantly serve priority projects within the frame-work of NEPAD and, where appropriate, vice versa.

In this context, national and subregional projects arebecoming irreversibly and overtly linked and gener-ally serve the purposes of both NEPAD and the sub-regional Arab Maghreb Union. For example,Gazoduc Maghreb Europe (GME) is a key project forconveying Algerian gas to Spain via Morocco, whilethe two Transmed I and II pipelines carry Algeriangas to Italy via Tunisia. They could join the sectionsof any network that might be included in theNEPAD infrastructure and could supply the coun-tries of the Sahel and Central Africa or possibly thoseeven further afield. The same thinking underpins theauthorities’ plans for setting up an electrical grid con-necting Europe and the Mediterranean region.

On a wider scale, the networks of roads (the Trans-Sahara Highway, the East-West Highway in Algeriaand the corridor from Cairo to Dakar), telecommuni-cations (fibre optic link between Algeria and Nigeriaand the network of micro-satellites, the first of which,Alsat-1, has already been launched), energy (the gaspipeline from Abuja to Beni Saf) or the port installa-tions at Djendjen, which is to become a free zone, areawakening the interest of officials in landlockedSahelian countries, since they will serve as supplyroutes and will help to connect these economies tothe rest of the world. Such infrastructure projects maybe combined with a number of high-priorityNEPAD infrastructure schemes, which might triggera concomitant development in all countries poten-tially interested in these infrastructures.

33Upper House of Parliament, equivalent to the FrenchSenate.



19

3.1 Introduction

Nigeria is a major oil-producing country. Oil is amajor source of government revenue and exportincome and accounts for a significant share of theGDP. The country has a population of approximately130 million and a per capita income of $290, placingit in the ranks of low-income countries. Nigeria has alow human development index, ranking 152 out of175 in the Human Development Report 2003.

When the new civilian Government came to poweron 29 May 1999 after many years of military rule, thecountry faced a difficult economic situation. This wasreflected in the high inflation rate, high unemploy-ment rate, heavy external debt burden, falling schoolenrolment, low use of industrial capacity, persistentpower outages and fuel scarcity.

The new civilian administration led by PresidentObasanjo was thus confronted with a daunting devel-opment challenge. As part of its efforts to deal withthese problems, the Federal Government launchedthe Nigerian Economic Policy 1999-2003. The doc-ument sets out the guiding principles, objectives,instruments, targets and macroeconomic policies,including sectoral policies, of the FederalGovernment. In 2002, the Government launched thenew Framework for Nigeria's Economic Growth andDevelopment 2003-2007. The objectives of the poli-cy framework are prudent and transparent strategies,poverty reduction, economic growth, price stability,national unity, democracy, good governance and secu-rity. At present, a short- to medium-term programmecalled the National Economic EmpowermentDevelopment Strategy is being developed by the neweconomic team appointed by the ObasanjoAdministration at the beginning of his second term.

3.1.1 Importance of NEPAD as aninstrument for stimulating growth

Nigeria was one of the main architects of NEPAD. Itsinvolvement in shaping NEPAD reflected its recogni-tion of the need for a bold continental strategy for sus-tained growth and poverty reduction. Such a pro-gramme would also serve as a framework for regionalaction and a guide to national development policy and

programmes. NEPAD incorporates the principles oftransparency, accountability, good democratic gover-nance, good economic and corporate governance, par-ticipatory development, economic empowerment andself-reliance, ownership and partnership – principlesdeemed vital for sustained growth and development.

In particular, NEPAD opens the way for the creationof an enabling environment for stimulating growth,as it aims to address some of the major issues thathave hampered Africa’s development. It is importantas an instrument for stimulating the growth ofAfrican countries such as Nigeria, particularly since itsets in motion a new, holistic approach that includeslong-term strategies to deal with wide-ranging issuessuch as peace and security, political governance, andcorporate governance and business practices as anintegral aspect of creating an enabling environmentfor Africa’s growth.

The course charted by NEPAD is a promising one, asit entails not only a programme for the economic andsocial transformation of Africa but also a vision ofpolitical renewal of the region based on pledges ofgood governance. NEPAD also sets out ways in whichAfrican Governments can root out corruption and endconflict as essential preconditions for making Africa amore attractive investment place so as to ensuregreater foreign investment and aid. In particular,APRM is an important feature of NEPAD that raisesexpectations in the country with respect to its poten-tial for stimulating growth, since it is conceived as avehicle for monitoring progress towards good eco-nomic, political and corporate governance in order tofoster the adoption of policies, standards and practicesthat lead to political stability and economic growth.

3.1.2 Linkages between NEPAD priori-ties and the MDGs

NEPAD adopted the MDGs as a core component ofits goals, which, in part, indicates an appreciation ofthe linkage between the two development initiatives.For example, the stated NEPAD objective is toachieve the overall seven per cent annual growth nec-essary for Africa to meet one of the MDGs: halvingpoverty by 2015.

III. NIGERIA


Though the ultimate focus of NEPAD is Africa, theview of policy-makers on the linkage betweenNEPAD and the MDGs is that the pursuit of Africa'ssustainable development should be in harmony withthe global context. The expected end result of theapplication of NEPAD principles of transparency,accountability, ownership and good governance is thesustainable development of Africa. Once these prior-ities are fully integrated into the national develop-ment programmes of African countries such asNigeria, the attendant gains include peace and secu-rity and sustainable economic development, inclusiveof poverty eradication. This means that NEPAD ishelping to achieve the MDGs.

This is significant because the instruments for popu-larizing NEPAD and integrating its priorities –notably, national governments, national developmentframeworks and State institutions – are the same asfor the MDGs. The successful implementation ofNEPAD will therefore largely result in the accom-plishment of the MDGs in Nigeria and other Africancountries. Consequently, the Government of Nigeriaperceives NEPAD as an important framework thatwill help to attain the MDGs, and herein lies theintricate linkage between NEPAD and MDGs.

3.2 Organizing and managing theNEPAD focal point

The NEPAD Nigeria office is the national focal pointfor NEPAD in Nigeria. It is headed by a SeniorSpecial Assistant (SSA) to the President – the equiv-alent of a Junior Minister of Cabinet rank. This Officeof the SSA on NEPAD to the President was formallycreated in April 2002.

The NEPAD Nigeria office has a total staff of 20,plus 3 assistants attached to the SSA on NEPAD tothe President. The basic function of the office is topopularize the initiative across Nigeria and to coordi-nate NEPAD matters within the country. The officeis currently working with partners in the private sec-tor and civil society to develop a framework to moveNEPAD forward. At the same time, the SSA onNEPAD to the President has been tasked to workdirectly with the Secretary to the Government of theFederation to design and implement a country

process and structure that will enable the efficientexecution of the NEPAD programme.

The immediate objectives of the NEPAD Nigeriaoffice are to: (a) popularize the NEPAD priority pro-gramme areas among Nigerians; (b) facilitate the inte-gration of NEPAD programmes within sectoral poli-cy-making and implementation bodies in Nigeria; (c)facilitate civil-society and private-sector ownership ofNEPAD and participation in NEPAD programmes;and (d) increase the capacity of the NEPAD Nigeriaoffice in the implementation of the NEPAD pro-gramme. To accomplish these objectives, the officedeveloped its Strategic Plan of Action with a detailedprogramme of activities, expected outputs, and indi-cators for evaluation and monitoring.

The budget of the NEPAD Nigeria office is struc-tured in line with the activities outlined under eachof the objectives. The total budget is N33,807,865.00034 equivalent of US$300,000.00.Furthermore, there were no indications of any extra-budgetary contributions from the private sector tosupport the operation of the country office at the timeof the study, apart from donations made by somebanks for the rolling out of its programme.

The NEPAD Nigeria office is the national focal pointfor NEPAD, but it is not the only formal governmentagency handling NEPAD in Nigeria. There is alsothe President's Personal Representative on theNEPAD Steering Committee (see figure 2 on the fol-lowing page). He is a Commissioner at the NationalPlanning Commission (NPC) with responsibility forGovernment sector and international cooperation. Inaddition, there are other government ministries andagencies engaged in the NEPAD process by virtue oftheir strategic importance. These are the Ministry ofIntegration and Cooperation, which overseesNigeria's NEPAD interests at the subregional level,and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Personal Representative of the President on theNEPAD Steering Committee also reports directly tothe President on NEPAD matters but more withregard to the continental and global levels than the

20

34NEPAD Nigeria office, 2003.


21

national level. His role is to report back to thePresident on the progress of the NEPAD Secretariatand Steering Committee, particularly in view of therole that the President plays as Chairman of the Head of State and Government ImplementationCommittee. He also oversees matters relating tointernational aspects of NEPAD. For example, he

works in concert with the African Development Bank(ADB), a major partner of NEPAD in Africa, whichis mandated to formulate the framework for thedevelopment of guidelines for subregional andregional infrastructures and the implementationstrategy.

Figure 2.

Structure of NEPAD coordination and reporting arrangements in Nigeria

President of Nigeria

Note: Schematic representation of exisiting arrangements

Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on NEPAD

(Head of NEPAD Nigeria office)

Responsible for:• Coordinating NEPAD matters in the coun-

try;• Working directly with the Secretary to the

Government of the Federation to design andimplement a country process and structurefor NEPAD implementation;

• Popularizing NEPAD and engagingNigerians (including, in particular, throughpartnerships with the private sector andcivil society).

Personal Representative of the President on the

NEPAD Steering Committee(Commissioner of NPC for Government sector and

international cooperation)

Responsible for:• Working at the continental level and report-

ing on the progress of the NEPADSecretariat and Steering Committee;

• Overseeing NEPAD matters at the NationalPlanning Commission (NPC), includingworking in concert with major NEPADpartners such as the African DevelopmentBank.


Figure 3 shows the operational structure of theNEPAD Nigeria office, with the Senior SpecialAssistant doubling as Programme General Managerand Coordinator. Three consultants, covering legal,technical and foreign liaison matters, are attached tothis office. In addition, there are five managers – foradministration, finance, projects, media and publicrelations – who all report directly to the SSA. TheNEPAD Nigeria office has conducted a series of brief-ings on the objectives, principles and priorities ofNEPAD for policy-makers such as the Secretary tothe Government of the Federation and the Head ofNPC as well as some business associations such as the

Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, while sensitiz-ing the larger populace to NEPAD. There were also afew advertisement slots on radio and television and inthe newspapers aimed at creating awareness aboutNEPAD, though the majority of the people remainlargely unaware of the initiative.

3.3 Decision-making and implementation process

The power to decide on the priorities to be imple-mented is vested with the Federal Government, withthe relevant ministry acting as the initiator. What

22

Figure 3.

Nigeria NEPAD office: operational structure

SSA on NEPAD

(Programme General Manager and Coordinatior)

Manager(Administrator)

Programme Co-Coordinator

Consultants(Legal, Technical and

Foreign Liaison)

Source: NEPAD Nigeria 2003.

Special Assistant to SSA

Manager(Finance)

Manager(Media)

Manager(Public

Relations)

Manager(Projects)


23

this means is that federal ministries and governmentagencies and their counterparts at the state and coun-cil levels would have to comply with the priorities ofNEPAD in their planning, budgeting and projects.Following the briefing of the Head of Service of theFederation by the SSA on NEPAD, a directive wasissued to all Directors/Heads of Research, Planningand Statistics of government establishments to createa NEPAD Desk, aimed at ensuring that all budgetsand projects emanating from them were NEPAD-compliant. However, internal government coordina-tion and consultation are just beginning to takeshape, with the aim of drawing in various govern-ment structures and actors.

Some argue that the task of monitoring the imple-mentation of NEPAD should be vested in NPC, sinceit is the government agency that scrutinizes planningand budgets. NPC is being restructured, and there isa possibility that it may assume this task.

As for the NEPAD Nigeria office, it is to be notedthat this office does not really decide on the projectsto be implemented, but it can set the priorities forits NEPAD popularization activities in the country,paying attention to issues that the Governmentemphasized.


The Government of Nigeria has conceived the financ-ing of NEPAD activities in two parts, one pertainingto financing the NEPAD office, the other to the pro-gramme priorities of NEPAD. As indicated in sec-tion 3.3, there is no consolidated budget for NEPADpriorities. Instead, funding of NEPAD priorities areintegrated into the budget of relevant Ministries.

Two projects figure among the specific NEPAD pri-orities attracting the attention of both theGovernment and donors in the country: the WestAfrican Gas Pipeline (WAGP) and the West AfricaPower Pool (WAPP).

Regarding WAGP, the construction of the 800-kilo-metre pipeline (mostly offshore) is aimed at trans-porting natural gas from the Escravos-Lagos pipelinein Nigeria to Cotonou (Benin), Lomé (Togo) and

Tema (Ghana). The construction of the pipeline start-ed in 2000, but little progress has been made. Uponcompletion, its initial capacity will be 200 m cf/d,rising to 600m cf/d. The WAGP project is estimatedto cost $500 million, which will be borne by Benin,Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Shell and Chevron/Texaco, butthe ratio is yet to be determined. An additional $600million will be spent to enhance the capacities of thepower in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo. Again,there was no record on how much each partner wouldpay, especially as ADB is still finalizing the guide-lines for the development of a framework for the proj-ects. Thus far, the project proper has not begun.

The WAPP project is aimed at integrating nationalgrids of five coastal countries (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire,Ghana, Nigeria and Togo) and three land-lockedcountries (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger). InSeptember 2000, the WAPP project was approved ata meeting of the Ministers of the EconomicCommunity of West African States (ECOWAS). TheSteering Committee of NEPAD, which met in Accraon June 2002, then endorsed the WAPP objectives,organization and regulatory arrangements. The proj-ect was expected to cost $13 billion.

WAGP and WAPP are examples of projects thatfall under the infrastructure category of NEPAD.These projects were on the drawing board longbefore NEPAD was conceived. However, the adop-tion of NEPAD gave further impetus to theirimplementation.

An appraisal mission by ADB – initially planned forJuly 2002, after which implementation was to begin– took place only this year. The Bank is still finaliz-ing the development of the framework for guidingthe project, and the project proper has not begun.

3.5 Consultative process

The Head of Service of the Federation had directed allfederal ministries and parastatals to apply NEPADpriorities in planning and budgeting. However, thisappears to be evolving slowly because the ministriesdo not yet have the framework for the guidelines forapplying the priorities of the regional initiative.Moreover, there is as yet no direct consultation


between the NEPAD Nigeria office and the heads ofnational government agencies.

At the state level, the consultative process has notbegun, but there is plan for the campaign to draw instate and local government structures and actors toget under way soon. Rather than deal directly witheach of the 36 states, zonal offices will be establishedin the six geopolitical zones of the country, namely,the North-East, North-West, North-Central, South-West, South-East and South-South. Each zonal officewill then further the consultative process on NEPADat the grass-roots level.

If NEPAD is to succeed, a new and innovative part-nership among Government, private sector and civilsociety is needed, one that is both responsive and cre-ative in support of NEPAD. This is the task in whichthe NEPAD Nigeria office should be involved.However, several criticisms have been voiced aboutNEPAD, mainly from African civil society and theNGOs but also the private sector, for the lack of ade-quate consultation in articulating the policy frame-work of NEPAD. This observation applies to theentire region not just Nigeria. Work in engaging theprivate sector and civil society for NEPAD is justbeginning to progress.

As regards the private sector and business associa-tions, the Nigeria NEPAD office began to engagethem, for example, by briefing members of the pri-vate sector at workshops. These efforts included, forexample, the SSA briefings on the NEPAD objec-tives, goals and priorities at the workshop onNEPAD and the National Association of OrganizedTraders, sponsored by Canada and Norway, and at theAuto Parts Dealers Association of Nigeria, which hasa membership of 4 million.

Apart from these briefings, the NEPAD Nigeriaoffice is also working to create effective platformsfor the engagement of the private sector. At thecontinental level, the NEPAD Business Group hasbeen accepted by the NEPAD Steering Committee.The NEPAD Nigeria office is working with theNEPAD Business Group to create a NEPADNigeria Business Group.

Furthermore, the NEPAD Nigeria office cooperatedwith the African Business Roundtable, UnitedNations Industrial Development Organization andECOWAS as well as the High Commission of theUnited Kingdom and convened a high-level NEPADBusiness Forum for the ECOWAS subregion on 3-5March 2003.

The main objectives of the NEPAD-ECOWASBusiness Forum were to mobilize the private sectorand business associations in the subregion to partici-pate in the NEPAD implementation process. In par-ticular, it is aimed at sensitizing the private sectorabout the NEPAD vision and plan of action whiledeveloping a framework for the involvement ofnational business associations and the private sectorin the implementation of the NEPAD plan of actionat the country and regional levels.

As for the NGOs and civil-society groups, they havebeen rather critical of NEPAD, arguing that NEPADwould need to be far more widely discussed by civilsociety than it has been to date. In particular, someNGOs critically remark that the NEPAD vision isblurred by fixing its sights on increased global integra-tion and rapid private-sector growth as the answer toovercoming poverty and by its failure to engage withAfrican people to transform the continent. This obser-vation applies to the whole region not just in Nigeria.

Nonetheless, some Nigerian NGOs have organizedworkshops to gain insight into the implications ofNEPAD for civil society and NGOs. These work-shops included the Colloquium on Civil Society andthe NEPAD Initiative held by the CatholicSecretariat on 7 November 2002, to which the SSAon NEPAD to the President was invited. In addition,the Commonwealth Foundation organized the CivilSociety Forum-NEPAD Nigeria Workshop in July2003 in Abuja, with the aim of enhancing the under-standing of the NEPAD concept and its implicationsfor civil-society groups in the country. Finally, theNigeria Labour Congress held the workshop entitledNEPAD, Globalization and Labour in Nigeria inorder to examine the implications of NEPAD forlabour in the country. At all these workshops, theSSA on NEPAD to the President conducted briefin-gs on the objectives and priorities of NEPAD.

24


25

In consultations held by the Government of Nigeriawith donors, ADB features as the foremost Africanpartner. It is assisting the NEPAD SteeringCommittee in the preparation of a programme for therapid development of infrastructure projects that arenecessary to accelerate subregional and continentaleconomic integration and in the development of aframework for fostering the implementation of bank-ing and financial standards in African countries.

With regard to subregional projects, ECOWAS hasbecome a forum where donors meet to work out themodalities for integrating the objectives of NEPADand ECOWAS and developing mechanisms for har-monizing the projects and their implementation. Forinstance, ADB, the European Union and the WorldBank have committed $360 million for RegionalIndicative Projects, among which are WAGP andWAPP. The European Union and the World Bankmade a donation of $1 million to support studiesaimed at aligning the objectives of ECOWAS andNEPAD. The United Kingdom Department forInternational Development (DFID) also commis-sioned experts to synchronize the objectives ofECOWAS and NEPAD.

3.6 Conclusion

Overall, NEPAD in Nigeria is just beginning toprogress. The NEPAD Nigeria office, which is thenational focal point for NEPAD in Nigeria, was cre-ated only about a year ago.

The sensitization of the general populace to NEPADand the engagement of the private sector and civilsociety for NEPAD have just begun. WhileGovernment has recognized the importance ofengaging the private sector, civil society and NGOsfor NEPAD, a great deal of effort will be required inthis area.

The work of the NEPAD Nigeria office to createeffective platforms such as the NEPAD NigeriaBusiness Group is a step in the right direction.However, financial constraints are still limiting thereach of the NEPAD Nigeria office, and opportuni-ties for genuine consultations with the private sectorand civil society are urgently needed. Work needs tobe done in this area, including in particular the activecoordination of the consultations and briefings onNEPAD by the NEPAD Nigeria office.

The mechanism for managing NEPAD in the coun-try is evolving gradually. Integrating NEPAD prior-ities into national political and institutional struc-tures is an inherently difficult task, presenting amajor challenge for the Government of Nigeria – atask to which the Government will rise and managefully well.

Bibliography

Federal Ministry of Education, Statistics onEnrolment, Abuja, 2000.

Federal Office of Statistics, Statistical Bulletin, Lagos,2000.

NEPAD Nigeria, Strategic Plan of Action, Abuja,2003.

NPC, Framework for Nigeria’s Economic Growthand Development, Abuja, 2002.

NPC, Nigerian Economic Policy, Abuja, 1999.



27

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1 Overall development context

With a GDP of $113.27 billion, South Africa has thelargest economy in Africa. Its per capita income ofapproximately $2,900 places it well in the ranks oflow middle-income countries. Yet it confronts signif-icant development challenges: wide income differen-tials, gross disparities in access to basic services suchas clean water, sanitation and education as well as ahuge HIV/AIDS burden. Since 1994, when SouthAfrica held its first democratic elections, successivegovernments have focused on meeting the twin chal-lenges of addressing poverty and inequality and lay-ing the foundation for a strong democracy.

South Africa’s journey towards democracy hasoccurred in stages.

1994–1999: from transition to a young democracy

The final settlement of the transition, the 1996Constitution, enjoys a very high degree of legitimacy.In spite of the new constitutional order, however, thefirst democratic Government inherited governmentmachinery and a public service geared towards serv-ing the security and prosperity of the white minoritypopulation while controlling and repressing theblack population. From 1994 to 1999, the newGovernment was thus understandably preoccupiedwith putting in place new democratic, accountableinstitutions aimed at helping to create a better life forall. The emphasis was on:

• policy formulation and the overhaul of legislativeframeworks;

• creation of new institutional arrangements andstructures to deliver the new policy frameworks;

• transformation within government in line with theprinciples of broad representation;

• an increased focus on improving the effectivenessof the implementation system and enhancing theprovision and delivery of basic services.Transformation of the public service was aimed atincreasing its capacity to play a new key role inservice delivery.

1999–present: stabilizing democracy In the second five years of the new democracy(1999-2004), the focus has been on stabilizing thedemocracy and the new Government. In contrast tothe first five years, when the Government placed theemphasis on policy-making, the second term has seenGovernment focusing on consolidation and the imple-mentation of policy.35 Civil society has thus increas-ingly come to be seen as a vehicle for delivery ratherthan a means of ensuring public participation in poli-cy and buy-in from society. Governance and adminis-tration are also focused on delivery, and Governmenthas further introduced the idea of integrated gover-nance among different departments at the nationallevel, strengthening the centre of government, andstrengthening the coordination among the national,provincial and local government strata. By 2002, anew focus had emerged and government and gover-nance stressed support for NEPAD activities.

4.1.2 Economic policy response ofthe Government

After the 1994 election that brought the AfricanNational Congress to power and ended apartheid, theReconstruction and Development Programme (RDP)was accepted as the de facto policy framework of thenew Government, functioning as a blueprint forsocial and political transformation in South Africa.36

RDP was institutionalized in the form of the RDPMinistry and the RDP Fund.

Government subsequently developed what it said wasa more comprehensive macroeconomic policy: growth,employment and redistribution (GEAR). This newpolicy recognized that RDP priorities would take placeonly in the context of economic growth.37 GEAR was

35For an analysis of the problem of the gap between policy andimplementation in South Africa, review the three-year Centrefor Policy Studies project on Closing the Gap between Policyand Implementation. This project was concluded in early 2003.

36For an assessment of the Reconstruction and DevelopmentProgramme, see Tobie Schmitz and Claude Kabemba,Enhancing policy implementation: Lessons from theReconstruction and Development Programme, ResearchReport no. 89 (Johannesburg, Centre for Policy Studies,September 2001).

37See Zondie Masiza and Xolela Mangcu, Understandingpolicy implementation: An exploration of research areassurrounding GEAR strategy, Research Report no. 78(Johannesburg, Centre for Policy Studies, May 2001).

IV. SOUTH AFRICA


thus predicated on the need for economic growth andit provides a strategic framework within which deci-sions on monetary, fiscal and labour market policieshave been taken since 1996.

In response, the State articulated a comprehensivepoverty alleviation framework that prompted theintroduction, in 1998, of a three-year budget cycleand the medium-term expenditure framework(MTEF), which has been in the implementationphase for the last several years.38 The MTEF prioritiesare as follows:

• meeting basic needs in education, health, waterand sanitation, social services, land reform andhousing;

• accelerating the development of social and civilinfrastructure;

• economic growth, development and job creation;

• human resource development at all levels of socie-ty, including adults;

• transformation of safety and security services to beegalitarian and outreach-oriented;

• strengthening and transformation of Governmentto implement Batho Pele – People First.

Through MTEF and other initiatives, theGovernment has clearly embarked on a series of keypolicy initiatives over the past few years to addressthe country’s vast socio-economic challenges.

4.1.3 NEPAD as an instrument ofgrowth stimulation

South Africa not only subscribes to and supportsNEPAD but is also one of its key architects and driv-ers. The Government has accepted that the mosteffective way to promote and popularize NEPAD atthe country level is to ensure that it is seen as address-ing highly visible country priorities in the context ofcontinental acceleration of development.

Just as RDP was set up to inform all governmentpolicies in 1994 and beyond, so today NEPAD isbeing integrated to help inform all governmentpolicies. There are very close synergies between the

political and economic policy goals of South Africaand those of NEPAD. NEPAD is an African pro-gramme tailored by Africans for the developmentof the African continent, and South Africa has beena key player in the Africa group that developed it.NEPAD makes direct links among development,peace and security, democracy and governance, andeconomic growth. The plan is further meant to cre-ate conducive conditions for meaningful and sus-tainable development on the continent. Africanleaders commit to democracy as well as to goodpolitical and economic governance, while they con-tinue to work towards the prevention and resolu-tion of situations of conflict and instability on thecontinent.39 NEPAD regards good political andcorporate governance, and peace and security asinherent requirements if Africans are to succeed inplacing the continent on a path of lasting growthand development. It is also a way of impressingupon the world that Africans have taken ownershipof their own development as architects of theNEPAD renewal plan.

Committed African leaders hope to create anenabling environment for NEPAD by mobilizingincreased private-sector investment. New elementsand approaches for new forms of partnership fordevelopment cooperation are being identified andnegotiated with Africa’s key overseas developmentpartners. There is still the challenge of advocatingand promoting the alignment and buy-in of theNEPAD strategic goals at the country level.

4.1.4 Linkages between NEPAD priorities and the MDGs

There is little disputing the commitment of theGovernment of South Africa to both NEPAD and theMDGs. South Africa is playing a key role in promot-ing both NEPAD and the MDGs and is instrumen-tal in encouraging African and other States to com-mit themselves to realizing both sets of targets.

28

39For the debate on ‘good’ governance within the context ofNEPAD and the African Union, see Candice Moore,Democratic peace and governance: Two sides of the samecoin, Centre for Policy Studies Policy Brief 27,Johannesburg, April 2003. Also see Chris Landsberg,‘Building sustainable peace requires democratic gover-nance’, Synopsis, vol. 7, no. 1, Centre for Policy Studies,April 2003.

38This information was obtained from the government 10-year review process in which this author is a participant.


29

Indeed, there is a clear link between NEPAD and theMDGs. With some viewing NEPAD as Africa’sMarshall Plan and others seeing it as a developmentstrategy and a programme of the African Union,NEPAD explicitly wishes to play a role in achievingthe United Nations Millennium Declaration.40 TheDeclaration involves halving extreme poverty, secur-ing primary education and basic health care, over-coming the HIV/AIDS epidemic and reducingmaternal, infant and child mortality in Africa. AsAfrica’s social and economic development pro-gramme, NEPAD targets are informed by theMDGs. NEPAD provides a continental platform forAfrica’s engagement and partnership with the broad-er international community. The donor communityhas generally been attracted to NEPAD and becausethey see it as a plan for self-monitoring by Africans.

Like NEPAD, the MDGs seek to eradicate extremepoverty and hunger by halving the proportion of peo-ple living on less than a dollar a day and the propor-tion of people who suffer from hunger.41 Like theNEPAD Human Resources Development cluster, theMDGs place an emphasis on both education andhealth, notably the curbing and eradication ofHIV/AIDS, reducing the maternal mortality ratio bythree-quarters, and ensuring that all boys and girlscomplete a full course of primary schooling by 2015.

Both NEPAD and the MDGs promote environmen-tal development and sustainability. Just as NEPADseeks the introduction of a new partnership betweenAfrica and the northern industrialized powers,notably the G8, based on mutual responsibility andmutual accountability, so the MDGs encourage thedevelopment of global partnerships for development.NEPAD and the MDGs both seek to develop furtherand open the global trading and financial system sothat it is rules-based, predictable and non-discrimi-natory. Both NEPAD and the MDGs place anemphasis on good governance and development.NEPAD stresses national, subregional and continen-tal poverty reduction; the MDGs encourage national

and international poverty reduction. This impliesthat a strategy for the promotion of NEPAD goals atthe country level can focus on the MDGs as theshared goals of all the countries at the same time.

The Government of South Africa is of the opinionthat the MDGs, NEPAD and the World Summit onSustainable Development (WSSD) have provided theinternational community with concrete ways ofadvancing Africa’s development agenda. The chal-lenge now is to integrate this into the emergingAfrican peace, security and governance agendas, aswell as at the country levels. The Government hasalso committed itself to the implementation ofMDGs through NEPAD.

4.2 Organizing and managing theNEPAD focal point

The NEPAD national focal point in South Africa isIDCC, which is located in the Department of ForeignAffairs (DFA).42 Before IDCC, there existed a coordi-nating unit within the DFA Africa: MultilateralDivision that dealt with the two key African trans-formation issues:

• Restructuring of the Southern African Develop-ment Community (SADC); and

• Transition from OAU to the African Union.43

Immediately after the 2002 launch of the AfricanUnion in Durban and the adoption of NEPAD as itsdevelopment programme, the South African Cabinetinstructed DFA to upgrade its old coordinating unitinto a full-fledged NEPAD focal point. This focalpoint is IDCC, which is still hosted within theAfrica: Multilateral Division. The head of theDivision, the Chief Director: Africa Multilateral, issupported by a small staff of about four officials whocurrently serve as the focal point. The Chief Directorreports to the Deputy Director-General: Africa, whoin turn reports to the Director-General of ForeignAffairs within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. TheDirector-General, in turn, reports to the Deputy-Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. TheDeputy-Minister plays a key role in the NEPAD

40See Chris Landsberg, “NEPAD: What is it? What is miss-ing?”, paper drafted for the National Labour and EconomicDevelopment Institute (NALEDI) (Johannesburg, May2003).

41See Department of Foreign Affairs, Protecting the planetthrough lasting improvements in the lives of the poor:The outcomes of the 2002 WSSD (Pretoria, 2002).

42Discussion with Ambassador Jessie Duarte, Chief Director,Africa: Multilateral Division, Department of Foreign Affairs,Pretoria, 6 June 2003.

43Discussion with official from Africa Multilateral Division,Department of Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2003.


integration and operationalization process. TheDeputy-Minister and Minister, in turn, report direct-ly to the Cabinet and the President.

Apart from the Africa: Multilateral Division, a num-ber of other departments have already set up NEPADunits, and it is expected that all 27 governmentdepartments will set up NEPAD divisions and havetheir own NEPAD focal points. For example, thePresidency in South Africa has a very influentialPolicy and Communications Unit, and this Unit isinstrumental in the Presidential NEPAD OutreachProgramme together with the GovernmentCommunications and Information Service (GCIS).The Presidency has two people dedicated to workingon NEPAD activities, but the Policy andCommunications Unit is generally heavily involvedin NEPAD work.

Alongside the Presidency, GCIS also plays a key rolein promotion and communication with respect toNEPAD. Like the Presidency and the Ministry ofForeign Affairs, GCIS has its own NEPAD section.

The initiation of a NEPAD outreach programmebegan in August 2002, soon after the launch of theAfrican Union. The Presidential OutreachProgramme is aimed at popularizing the AfricanUnion and NEPAD within Parliament, provincialand local government structures and among tradi-tional leaders, the business community, research andacademic institutions, the media and the diplomaticcorps represented in South Africa.

Participants in the Outreach Programme include rep-resentatives from the Presidency; DFA; GCIS; theAfrica Institute of South Africa (AISA), which focus-es on civil-society involvement; and the South AfricaChapter of the African Renaissance. The last two,which are NGOs, have been tasked with mobilizingcivil-society actors and popularizing NEPAD withincivil society.

Government ministries, provincial governments andlegislatures, and premiers of provinces have all beenrequested to identify programmes and activities thatcan be undertaken to popularize the African Unionand NEPAD in South Africa.

Outreach activities also include meetings and work-shops with members of various political parties inParliament, traditional leaders, provincial and localgovernments, the business community, youth andwomen’s organizations, universities, schools andresearch organizations, the media and events such assporting occasions.

South African diplomatic missions abroad are used inthe process of promoting NEPAD and the AfricanUnion, with the understanding that the SouthAfrican missions must coordinate their work andefforts with other African missions abroad. TheGovernment of South Africa expects its missions toshow sensitivity to the views of other African States.

A few other departments that are playing key roles inthe promotion of NEPAD include the Department ofArts, Science and Technology; the Department ofTrade and Industry; and the Department ofAgriculture.

Owing to the fact that the Regional NEPADSecretariat is located in South Africa and situated soclose to the centre of government in Pretoria, theGovernment of South Africa has regular contact andinteraction with, and influence over, NEPADprocesses. The location of the NEPAD Secretariatgives the Government of South Africa a comparativeadvantage in coordinating NEPAD policies and pro-grammes.

IDCC, through the Director-General of ForeignAffairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is expect-ed to provide monthly briefings to the Cabinet andParliament, and it is envisaged that this will becomemore frequent in the months ahead. These briefingsare channelled through the agencies and units in theMinistry of Foreign Affairs in liaison with theParliamentary Portfolio Committee on ForeignAffairs. The Portfolio Committee, in turn, is expect-ed to play its proper oversight and accountabilityrole. Other departments, such as the Departments ofFinance; Trade and Industry; Arts, Science andTechnology; Agriculture; Health; and all others arealso required to keep their relevant portfolio commit-tees briefed and updated on a regular basis. NEPADis regularly debated during joint sessions of the hous-

30


31

es of Parliament and over the past three years has fig-ured prominently in the President’s annual State ofthe Nation Address as well as in the speeches of keyministers, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs.NEPAD therefore has become a critical focus of gov-ernment activity and policy-making in South Africa.

South Africa has stressed that a key priority is theestablishment of a NEPAD management structure inorder to ensure adequate capacity for implementa-tion. The management structure will also providestrategic support to the NEPAD Secretariat.

4.3 Decision-making and implementa-tion process

In South Africa, NEPAD has become internalized andis being institutionalized by Government: it is nolonger just a foreign policy issue but has become thefocus of national strategy. Growth and development athome are increasingly seen as inextricably interwovenwith growth and development on the rest of the conti-nent. NEPAD is viewed as the stratagem that bringsdomestic and continental imperatives together. This isa key reason why Government is moving ahead withthe assimilation and incorporation of NEPAD into itsgovernance structures. This internalization of NEPADis having the effect of forcing all internal governmentdepartments and functionaries to include an outwardfocus: the NEPAD continental objectives.

In South Africa, NEPAD programmes enjoy atten-tion at the highest levels of government and are reg-ularly tabled for Cabinet consideration. Over the pastthree years, Government has introduced an elaborateplanning framework and an intricate process of deci-sion-making; NEPAD has been fully incorporatedinto this planning cycle.44 The planning cycle seeksto achieve two objectives:

• ensure that the five-year strategic objectives set byGovernment are followed by all institutions; and

• ensure that the policy, strategic, expenditure, anddecision-making trends are aligned and properlymanaged.

NEPAD has now been incorporated into this five-year decision-making process. Government has alsoestablished an IDCC responsible for SADC, theAfrican Union and NEPAD. IDCC has requested alldepartments to submit proposals for NEPAD high-impact and high-visibility projects.

A pro forma was provided to Departments, with arequest to list current and envisaged projects in termsof the following categories:

• domestic projects with possible regional and con-tinental impact;

• SADC projects – multilateral;

• SADC projects – bilateral;

• projects in the African Union;

• projects in the Economic Commission forAfrica/United Nations programmes in Africa; and

• other projects in Africa, excluding SADC countries.

IDCC and the various government departments arecurrently setting up five sub-committees to organizeits work. These are:

• politics, defense and security;

• trade, finance and industry;

• food, agriculture and natural resources;

• infrastructure; and

• human resource development.

Whereas IDCC is tasked with playing a central coor-dination role, the various government departmentscontinue to make their NEPAD-related inputs to therelevant sub-committees. For example, theDepartments of Foreign Affairs; Defence; and Safetyand Security would collaborate on the politics,defence and security sub-committee. TheDepartments of Trade and Industry as well as Financein turn would make their contribution to the trade,finance and industry sub-committee. TheDepartments of Agriculture and Minerals, as well asEnergy would similarly make their contribution tothe food, agriculture and natural resources sub-com-mittee. Again, it should be stressed that IDCC istasked with the overall coordination, synchronizationand harmonization functions with regard to NEPADwithin the Government.

44C. Chalklen, “The planning framework of government”,in Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG)Research Bulletin, April 2003.


It should be pointed out that the overall governmentprocess is organized by priority cluster. For example,and relevant here, the Department of Foreign Affairsforms an integral part of the International Relations,Peace and Security (IRPS) Cluster. IDCC and theDepartment of Foreign Affairs would also report to,and brief the IRPS Cluster.

This system of multiple reporting within theGovernment does not, however, imply that the brief-ings are sporadic in nature. Instead, NEPAD is notonly being integrated into most government plan-ning processes, policies and structures, butParliament also retains the premier accountabilityand oversight function in the overall integration ofNEPAD into all government departments.

Thus, just as both NEPAD and the MDG processesare organized on the basis of clear thematic focalpoints, so departments of the Government of SouthAfrica and IDCC seek to organize themselves by the-matic NEPAD/MDG thematic focal point. GCIS,which is instrumental in the Presidential OutreachProgramme, has also set up an Internal GCISCommittee that focuses on four priority areas:

• NEPAD outreach;

• the African Union;

• Africa Day promotions; and

• the transition from the South Africa chairperson-ship of the African Union to the chairpersonship ofMozambique.

These project priorities, committees and pro-grammes are clearly organized along NEPAD prior-ity lines so as to find synergies between governmentNEPAD programmes and NEPAD continental ini-tiatives. Different departments sit on differentIDCC sub-committees, depending on line prioritiesand functions.


Considerable donor support has been made availablefor the Regional NEPAD Secretariat in Midrand,South Africa. This support is earmarked mainly forcontinental NEPAD programmes. The Governmentof South Africa has been instrumental in helping tomobilize funds for the NEPAD Secretariat, and the

bulk of these funds has been put aside for cross-bor-der NEPAD work. For example, the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) country office inSouth Africa has recently entered into an agreementwith the NEPAD Secretariat to provide support tothe Secretariat for NEPAD work; UNDP has agreedwith the NEPAD Secretariat to help strengthen theproject management capacities of the Secretariat byproviding a project manager and start-up technicalsupport for fast-tracking recruitment and planning.There is a convergence between the strategy ofNEPAD – which is to accelerate development of thecontinent – and the aims of the development frame-work of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa. Bothshare the overall goal of accelerating Africa’s integra-tion into world development and reducing poverty inline with the MDGs. The UNDP country coopera-tion framework for South Africa is seeking to alignSouth Africa’s own development goals and indicatorswith the MDGs.

The Government of South Africa is expected to initi-ate and kick-start the country’s own NEPAD pro-gramme. The South Africa strategy is to task govern-mental structures and agencies to assist business, civilsociety and other societal formations to marshalresources to ensure implementation. This will bedone by outsourcing projects to identified agenciesand/or experts in a particular field as and whenrequired.

IDCC will take the lead in coordinating the local pro-gramme and its funding; already a number of depart-ments have submitted possible projects to the IDCCunit and inputs from other departments are current-ly awaited. For now, the Government of South Africais expected to fund most of these projects and pro-grammes, and government departments are alsoexpected to factor NEPAD projects into their annualbudgets and programming. The financial outlay bythe Government for NEPAD priorities at the nation-al level cannot be ascertained until the costing ofNEPAD-related projects and programmes by all thedepartments of the Government are completed.IDCC and all government departments are waitingfor the list of approved national, subregional and con-tinental projects of the NEPAD Secretariat and theAfrican Union Commission. These projects would

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guide the responses and budget allocations of IDCCand various government departments. In short, untilthe list of approved projects is clearly defined andarticulated by the NEPAD Secretariat in particular,we are unlikely to see the inclusion of clear govern-mental budget listing amounts. There is an indica-tion from IDCC that a strong emphasis will be placedon infrastructure development projects.

The Government of South Africa has asked theRegional NEPAD Secretariat to provide clear guide-lines for the identification of NEPAD projects, inparticular with regard to the differentiation betweenNEPAD continental projects and national andregional projects. Departments of the Government ofSouth Africa will then canvass for resources fromdonors, the NEPAD Secretariat, the NEPADImplementation Committee, and the African Unionfor such projects and programmes.

In his 2003 national budget speech, the Minister ofFinance, Trevor Manuel, announced that “SouthAfrica remains at the forefront of multilateral initia-tives aimed at promoting a more equitable interna-tional order and ensuring a better future for Africa’speople. The 2003 Budget accommodates a phasedexpansion of missions in African countries, fundingfor the African Union and the NEPAD Secretariatand increased contributions to regional developmentthrough the African Renaissance Fund Administeredby the Department of Foreign Affairs”.45 Clearly, thisis no direct contribution for NEPAD programmes. Itis more properly a contribution in kind and reflectsthe true nature of local financial commitment bySouth Africa to NEPAD on the home front.

In terms of the donor community, very few donors havethus far made funds available specifically to the SouthAfrican authorities to support South African NEPADprojects and programmes. However, given the promi-nent role played by South Africa in NEPAD, theGovernment has been instrumental in lobbying inter-national donors to support general NEPAD projectsand programmes and the NEPAD Secretariat generally.

Despite the lack of funding going directly to theGovernment of South Africa for NEPAD projects and

programmes, international donors based in SouthAfrica are making available considerable funding toSouth African NGOs and CSOs for work on NEPADand its promotion. Most think tanks in South Africa,notably those working in the areas of African peace,security, governance and democratization, all runNEPAD projects. AISA, the Electoral Institute ofSouthern Africa, the South African Institute ofInternational Affairs, the Institute for SecurityStudies (ISS), the African Centre for the ConstructiveResolution of Disputes, the Centre for ConflictResolution, Safer Africa, and the Human SciencesResearch Council all have active NEPAD pro-grammes. Bilateral overseas donors fund most ofthese organizations.

Foundations such as the Ford Foundation, the MottFoundation and the Open Society Foundation typi-cally fund the NEPAD and African Union research ofindependent organizations such as the Centre forPolicy Studies.

There are a few exceptions where donors have madedirect grants to the Government of South Africa forits own NEPAD work. For example, having beenapproached by IDCC, DFID has made a substantialgrant to the NGO, Safer Africa, for work on develop-ing the NEPAD peace and security cluster, which isheaded by South Africa.46

The Government of Canada has made money forSouth African NGOs available through theInternational Development Research Centre to dowork on NEPAD.47 NGOs such as ISS have alreadybenefited from such collaboration.

The South Africa office of the European Unionrecently approved 15 million euros (for a three-yearperiod) to be allocated specifically for the promotionof NEPAD by South Africa.48 The European Unionhas agreed to finance a pilot project on cooperation inthe area of capacity-building, particularly in thetraining of civil servants at the regional level.

45Trevor Manuel, Budget Speech, 26 February 2003.

46Telephone discussion with official in the South Africa officeof DFID, Pretoria, 12 June 2003.

47Telephone discussion with official in the CanadianInternational Development Agency office, Pretoria, SouthAfrica, 11 June 2003.

48Telephone discussion with official in the European Unionoffice in South Africa, Pretoria, 11 June 2003.


4.5 Consultative process

It should be clear from the earlier discussion that theissue of internal government coordination and con-sultation is beginning to take shape. NEPAD enjoyspriority attention at the highest levels of SouthAfrican government and is being factored into plan-ning from the Cabinet level down to the local gov-ernment level. The Government regularly conductsworkshops on NEPAD and is beginning to draw inprovincial and local government structures andactors. The Government has also established a closerelationship with all of the parastatals of South Africa(government-owned companies) such as ESKOM,ISCOR, TRANSNET and others, and all of themhave active NEPAD programmes.

On the other hand, the setting up of NEPAD coordi-nation units within the 27 government departmentsneeds to be implemented and operationalized, withclear linkages with the NEPAD focal point in IDCC.The system of consultations and briefings envisagedas the working-level outreach of this system of divi-sional and central focal points is an integral aspect ofthe consultative mechanism within the Governmentand needs to be institutionalized.

South African civil-society actors, including thelabour movement, the print and electronic media,universities and NGOs, have hotly debated NEPAD.The country is awash with conferences and work-shops on NEPAD issues.

The Africa Institute of South Africa, the statutoryresearch body mandated to work with Governmenton foreign policy and African affairs and tasked withconsulting civil society on NEPAD, held numerousconsultation sessions during 2002 and 2003. Forexample, meetings were held with people such as theCanadian High Commissioner in South Africa todeliberate on NEPAD and the G8 (13 May 2002).

From 1-2 July 2002, the Africa Institute also hosteda key consultation event called the "Continental CivilSociety Meeting", which included key actors such asPresident Thabo Mbeki and several South AfricaMinisters, including the Foreign Minister, Dr.Nkosazana Zuma, and the Minister of theDepartment of Arts, Culture, Science and

Technology, Dr. Ben Ngubane, as well as members ofthe South African Parliament.

Safer Africa, another NGO close to the Departmentof Foreign Affairs, has recently established theNEPAD Facilitation Unit. The Unit works closelywith the NEPAD Secretariat, the African UnionCommission and the Government of South Africa. Itruns conferences for ambassadors and personal repre-sentatives of the NEPAD sub-committee on peaceand security. Also, it provides additional capacity tothe secretariats for the creation of draft policies anddraft implementation structures for workshops at thepolitical level prior to their adoption. Safer Africa hasalso established the Civil Society Participatory Unitto facilitate participation in NEPAD processes.

The problem is that the emphasis by Safer Africa ismore on cooperation with existing structures than onconsulting with civil-society entities. As an institu-tion close to Government, Safer Africa should domore to facilitate consultation between Governmentand those entities and actors involved in the formalprocess on the one hand and those civil-society enti-ties outside of Government on the other.

These efforts by AISA and Safer Africa should not betaken to mean that there is proper consultationbetween Government and NGOs on NEPAD issues.Indeed, the Government admits that there has beenlittle consultation between itself and NGOs. It alsorecognizes this as a weakness on its part that signals ashortcoming in its outreach strategies. TheGovernment further recognizes that it needs to accel-erate its efforts to reach the mass of South Africansociety on the issue of NEPAD. It admits that thepublic is poorly informed about NEPAD activitiesand acknowledges that it is the responsibility ofGovernment to rectify this weakness. In this regard,plans are afoot to make room for formal civil-societyparticipation in the IDCC coordination structure.

As far as business and the private sector go, there hasbeen a considerable amount of dialogue and engage-ment by businesses in general on NEPAD issues.However, many businesses and private-sector entitieshave expressed disappointment about the lack ofproper consultation between Government and them-

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selves. As with NGOs, Government has also com-mitted itself to creating opportunities for formalbusiness and private-sector consultation in IDCC.

4.6 Conclusion

The integration of NEPAD into South African gov-ernance processes and structures is work in progress,but in many respects, it is advanced, especially whencompared to the situation in other African countries.This is clearly a process, and evidence suggests thatSouth Africa is in it for the long haul. This is not sur-prising, given the lead role of South Africa in the for-mation of NEPAD.

Integrating NEPAD into national governance andpolicy processes is indeed a complex undertaking.South Africa has begun to internalize the NEPADprocesses and plans, creating structures and proce-dures in every government department to deal withNEPAD priorities. Government is now in theprocess of setting up relevant structures and institu-tions. The whole idea of NEPAD and that of makingit a central tenet of governance and policy in SouthAfrica enjoy priority attention in the Government.The Cabinet takes the issue very seriously andexpects all government departments to integrateNEPAD into their work. Intra-government consul-tations are well established, especially at the nation-al level. Most national departments have already setup their NEPAD units or are in the process of doingso. The outreach programme of the Government hasalso targeted provincial and local governments forNEPAD promotion and integration work. Evenparastatals are regularly consulted and involved inNEPAD organizing activities.

However, consultations with the private sector andcivil society are not as well established, and in manyinstances, the relationships with NGOs and CSOs areacrimonious and even discordant. WhileGovernment has recognized the importance of con-sultation with CSOs and NGOs, a considerable

amount of work needs to be done on this score. To besure, the private sector is beginning to organize itselfinto effective structures in order to engage onNEPAD. It is very eager to be incorporated intoNEPAD consultation structures and processes. Twoof the lead civil-society entities involved in theNEPAD process – AISA and Safer Africa – could dobetter than just creating space for civil-society actorsto deliberate with each other about NEPAD andshare their misgivings about the project. What isneeded are genuine opportunities for civil-societyactors to make informed inputs into NEPAD process-es, as opposed to merely rubberstamping the process-es and deliberating on it. Thus, opportunities forgenuine consultation are needed.

While Government has become effective with aspectssuch as media briefings and organizing conferencesand NEPAD events for the more attentive society, italso concedes that outreach to the general populace isvery weak and a great deal of effort will have to gointo this area.

As the first chair Government of the African Union,the policy of South Africa was to ensure that AfricanUnion developments were in line with NEPAD pri-orities and that SADC and other regional economiccommunities are also engaged in NEPAD activities.Pretoria has also promoted a closer alignmentbetween African Union and NEPAD programmes.The policy of South Africa also sought to enhanceefforts to create greater synergy and compatibilitybetween regional and continental programmes ofaction.

NEPAD strategy often notes that the issue of capaci-ty-building is critical to the successful implementa-tion of NEPAD, and a very strong focus on capacity-building has been built into almost every aspect ofthe South Africa NEPAD programme.



Offic

e of t

he Speci

al Adviser on Africa


Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA)United NationsTel: (212) 963 0739Fax: (212) 963 6940http://www.un.org/esa/africa

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Documents

Integrating the priorities of the New Partnership for ... Nepad.pdf · New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) ... ment process. That such integration is important is underscored