NEPAD and Mozambique hold talks on implementation,awareness and ownership

The NEPAD Secretariat in cooperation with the Mozambique Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has held a series of consultative meetings in Maputo with various institutions of government, the diplomatic community, the private sector and civil society.

The overall purpose was to evaluate the extent to which Mozambique has integrated the NEPAD principles, values and priorities into national development plans and strategies. It also served as an opportunity to assess the progress made in the implementation of NEPAD projects.

The NEPAD delegation was led by the Chief Executive Prof. Firmino Mucavele, and consisted of Dr. Hesphina Rukato, Deputy Chief Executive, Thaninga Shope-Linney, General Manager of Communications and Outreach, Dr. Sloans Chimatiro, Advisor on Fisheries, Dr. Gengezi Mgidlana, Special Advisor to the Chief Executive, John Rocha, Consultant on Capacity Development, and assistants, Chizoba Okeke and Michael Dube.

Consultative meetings were held with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications and the Minister of Planning and National Development.

These meetings were complemented with sectoral sessions which brought together representatives from the Ministries of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunication, Fisheries, Planning and National Development, Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Science and Technology.

The NEPAD delegation held discussions with the state-owned telecommunications company, Telecomunições de Moçambique (TDM), where the implementation of various telecommunications and infrastructure projects was discussed, including the bridge over the Rovuma river linking Mozambique and Tanzania and road linkages with neighbouring countries.

At a briefing with Ambassadors, High Commissioners and representatives from the African diplomatic community, Professor Mucavele gave a brief overview of the status of implementation of NEPAD at country level, highlighting special achievements in Mozambique, such as the joint action plan on fisheries, science and technology as well as the Nacala corridor. He also gave examples of projects in agriculture and education, such as the NEPAD e-Schools.

In another presentation, Fernandes Domingos, Director NEPAD and NEPAD Steering Committee member, noted that the NEPAD principles, values and priorities were fully integrated within the national development plans of Mozambique, including its Vision 2025. He also said that NEPAD focal points had been established at the provincial and local levels which integrated representatives of government, private sector and civil society.

A full report of the outcomes of the Maputo meeting will be made available shortly. Source : NEPAD, october 5, 2007

Infrastructure mission in Central Africa

A joint mission of the African Development Bank NEPAD Division and the NEPAD Secretariat Infrastructure Unit has visited Libreville and Brazzaville at the invitation of the Central African Economic Community (ECCAS), for talks with ECCAS, the Central African Development Bank, the Central African Power Pool and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community.

The objective was to discuss the priority programmes of Central Africa in the transport and energy sectors and to determine how both NEPAD and the Bank can assist in mobilising resources.

In the transport sector 55 projects have been prioritised out of a potential list of more than 300.

The African Development Bank offered to finance a study to harmonise policies and to develop common standards for regional transport projects, using the NEPAD Infrastructure Preparation Facility (IPPF).

Funding was also offered for a study of the regulatory environment to facilitate private sector participation in transport projects.

Fourteen priority projects, including five cross-border projects, have been identified in the energy sector. The African Development Bank offered to use the NEPAD-IPPF to prepare the projects while the Central African Development Bank agreed to fund rehabilitation of the generating stations in the Central African Republic.

The mission was also briefed by the Central African Power Pool on the status of the electricity inter-connector project between Inga, Cabinda and Pointe Noir in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and Congo-Brazzaville respectively.

The NEPAD Secretariat was represented on the mission by Reatile Mochebelele. Source : NEPAD, october 5, 2007