AFRICAN UNION AGENDA 2063

Methodology Workshop Fifty Years of Building Democracy and Peace in Africa:

Policy Reflections and Future Options. 19 – 20 August 2013, Addis Ababa.

Background

• Africa this year celebrates 50 years of the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)

• The AU aim to take stock of Africa’s performance over the last 50 years and draw lessons for the next 50 years.

• Rekindle the spirit of Pan Africanism• Embarked on the preparation of a long term Africa-

wide Plan, which will be called – African Union Agenda 2063: A shared Strategic Framework for Equitable Growth and Sustainable Development.

Objective

• Objective of the African Union Agenda 2063 is to chart a development trajectory for Africa for the next 50 years. • Determine the type of Africa that we want.

Methodology

• To ensure African ownership, the process is being extensively consultative, supported by high level research and analytical work.• Key stakeholders for consultations are Member States,

RECs, the other AU Organs, the NEPAD Agency, the academia/research institutions/think-tanks, the private sector, and civil society.• Also being consulted are women and the youth, Eminent

Persons in Africa; and• Former Heads of State.

Key Steps

•The following are the key steps in the process: • Conducting situational or diagnostic analysis

to review the state of play in the economic, political and social development arena. – To identify key internal and external challenges

and opportunities; – identify drivers for socio-economic

transformation as well as potential policies and strategies to be pursued.

Key Steps• Review of previous and existing Development

Frameworks of all AU Organs, RECs and the NPCA, to identify commonalities, overlaps and gaps. – Particular attention on lesson learned, especially

in the implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action, Abuja Treaty and NEPAD.

• Outlining of the key goals, headline strategic objectives, and priorities to be pursued in order to address the key challenges identified.

Framework Paper• A Draft Framework Paper has been developed and will form the basis for

consultations with stakeholders • Framework paper discusses:i. Political trendsii. Macroeconomic trendsiii. Lessons learntiv. Drivers of Changev. Enablers of Changevi. Threats and risksvii. Critical Success Factorsviii. Long term trendsix. Paradigm shiftx. Milestones

Political Trends

• Document gives a historical perspective of Pan Africanism and the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and its evolution into the African Union and the creation of NEPAD.

• A lot of progress has been made in liberating the continent from colonial rule and restoring Africa’s dignity.

• Political freedoms have been established although some challenges remain. There has also been wider cooperation among African states although progress has been slow.

Macroeconomic Trends

• The framework document shows that since early 2000, there has been a turnaround of fortunes with Africa showing considerable economic vigor and resilience in the face of uncertainty triggered by the global financial and economic crisis and recession in the Euro zone.

Macroeconomic Trends cont’d

• Growth has averaged around 5% , a rate higher than any other period since the early 1970s.

• Furthermore, between 2000 and 2011 six of the ten fastest growing countries in the world were in Africa (Angola, Chad, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria and Rwanda).

• Africa has also made notable progress in the attainment of MDGs, improved governance as well as lowering costs of doing business and expanding middle class of 355 million-approx. 34% of African Population

Macroeconomic Trends cont’d

However,• Africa’s growth has not been inclusive, and inequalities have

increased. • Growth has not created sufficient jobs, especially for Women

and Youth, and has not translated into poverty reduction. • Growth has been commodity driven and hence not much

structural transformation has taken place. • There has been a process of de-industrialization, declining

agriculture productivity, rising food and nutrition insecurity.• Africa not kept pace despite same level of dev. With China and Korea at

independence

Lessons Learnt

• Lack of an Implementation Plan• Lack of ownership by ordinary

people( ordinary people not involved)• Lack of Africa’s own financing- reliance on

donor funds• No monitoring and Evaluation to determine

progress• Poorly managed institutions

Drivers of Change

On the basis of the foregoing analysis, the paper identifies key drivers of change which are critical to achieving the desired socio-economic transformation of the continent by 2063 as follows:

• promoting science, technology and innovation,

• investing in Human Development with emphasis on women and Youth as well as vulnerable people

• managing natural resource endowments

• pursuing climate conscious development

• capable developmental states and

• harnessing regional integration.

Enablers of Change

 Also outlined in the document are key enablers of change. It is believed that these issues will be key to creating favourable conditions for transformation to take place. These are:• Creating capable developmental states;• Peace and security;• Infrastructure development• Pursuing climate-conscious development;• Harnessing Regional Integration.

Paradigm Shift

• Arising from the lessons learnt over the last 50 years is the need for a paradigm shift on the way Africa has been implementing its programmes.

• Emphasis should be to ensure effective implementation of programmes.

• Emphasis will also be placed on the need to re-kindle the Pan Africanist spirit that existed in the 1960s.

• The document then raises some of the questions Africa must address in its quest for development over the next 50 years.

Threats and risks,

these include;

• Conflict, instability and insecurity,

• failure to harness demographic dividends,

• escalation of Africa’s disease burden; and

• climate change.

Critical Success Factors

Paper identifies the following critical success factors:

• change of mindset to focus on implementation

• strengthening institutional capacity

• putting greater emphasis on sustainable and innovative sources of mobilizing domestic resources and;

• promoting knowledge and innovation.

Strategic Initiatives

Investment in strategic initiatives should be encouraged.• Strengthen existing strategic partnerships (BRICS),

but eliminate redundancy. (Sustainability of the resource boom;

• Environmental considerations;• Diversification of production structures to meet

changing market demands;• Strengthening domestic and regional financial

markets and boosting resource mobilization and expanding access to financial services.

Milestones

• The document outlines various milestones to be attained on the road to 2063. Some of these milestones are from pre-existing frameworks such as the Abuja Treaty, NEPAD, CAADP, PIDA, etc…

Milestones cont’d

These milestones are in the following areas:• Milestones related to political and economic

integration;• Milestones related to income, employment

generation and growth;• Milestones related to Human Development;• Milestones on Innovation and Technology transfer;• Milestones on Peace, Security and Good Governance;• Milestones on Women and Youth Development.

Other areas of research

• The following areas are earmarked for further research in order to enrich the document:– Mega-trends– Review of Existing National Plans and Strategies– Scenario and Prospective Analysis – Sector studies

THE PROCESS

• A plan of such nature as the Agenda 2063 needs extensive consultations with all segments of African society

• Schedule of consultation meetings has been organized to consult the following over the next three months

The objective of the consultations is to:

• validate the critical issues that will influence transformation such as the drivers of change outlined in the document

• outline clearly the Africa that Africans want by 2063 in various sectors

• inspire the African citizenry into participating and charting the continent’s future and that Africa should determine its own fate

• what will take the continent to 2063

Consultations

Communication

• In the light of the need to carry the African populace along in the preparation of Agenda 2063, a Communication/Popularisation Strategy is being prepared for the continent to appreciate and have a buy-in into the African Union Agenda 2063

• It also brings the population closer and involved in the entire development process so that they can claim ownership of the process.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• In order to be able to track progress a Monitoring and Evaluation framework will be produced.

• This will ensure achievement of results on the basis of clear targets, benchmarks and indicators and regular reporting.

Roles and Responsibilities

• A clear delineation of roles and responsibilities of various institutions such as

– AUC,

– AU Organs,

– RECs and

– Member States

will be made under the principle of subsidiarity to ensure that there is no overlap amongst the various institutions.

Roadmap

• A roadmap has been prepared outlining the various steps leading to the presentation of the document to the Policy Organs in January, 2014 and the eventual submission of the Plan to the Policy Organs, in June, 2014.