Media Engagements for #TheAfricaWeWant
During the just-ended 33rd Ordinary African Union Summit, the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD held several engagements with the media.
At a special media briefing with the CEO of AUDA-NEPAD, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki on 7 February, the conversation with African and global media covered the important topics on why the NEPAD Agency transformed into the African Union Development Agency, as well as Africa's integration and the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
Regarding the transformation of the NEPAD Agency into the African Union Development Agency, the CEO explained that it was one of the main initiatives submitted in 2018 to the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, through his global reform designed to improve the Union’s impact and operational efficiency.
The media conversation also touched on the challenges that may impede the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by countries and regions, as well as the countless opportunities that need to be grasped. Dr Mayaki explained that the actioning of the AfCFTA also needs to go hand in hand with the domestication of Agenda 2063.
Mrs Estherine Fotabong, the AUDA-NEPAD Director of Programme Innovation and Planning, was interviewed by Africa 24 television news network on the footprint of the agency on the Continent. Mrs Fotabong also elucidated on the fact that media are a crucial link in crafting Africa's narrative, by connecting the dots between development policies, continental and regional frameworks, and country level priorities for ‘The Africa We Want.’
In another engagement with the media, Dr Mayaki explained to CNBC Africa that 37th Session of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) meeting held in Addis Ababa on 8 February had three main objectives:
- To examine the new statutes and rules of procedure of the continent’s development agency – AUDA-NEPAD;
- To evaluate the progress made toward implementing the organisational structure of AUDA-NEPAD; and
- To elect a new chairperson of the HSGOC, which saw the President of Rwanda unanimously elected as the new Chairperson of the NEPAD HSGOC.
The full interview can be watched on the AUDA-NEPAD Youtube channel at: