The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency, African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Secretariat and Mo Ibrahim Foundation (MIF) today completed discussions on the establishment of a strategic tripartite partnership.

The partnership aims to identify complementary initiatives in the areas of agriculture, science, technology and innovation, youth, regional integration and infrastructure through collaborative research and knowledge exchange.

NEPAD Agency CEO and Interim CEO of the APRM Secretariat Dr Ibrahim Mayaki and MIF Executive Directors, Mr Abdoulie Janneh and Mrs Nathalie Delapalme met on January 13 in Johannesburg, to explore areas of collaboration between the three organisations.

In his opening remarks, Dr Mayaki welcomed the establishment of the tripartite partnership as a key mechanism that will enhance the mandate and work of the NEPAD Agency, APRM Secretariat and MIF.

Mr Janneh and Mrs Delapalme expressed their desire to forge a strong partnership with NEPAD and APRM to further enhance good governance and economic development in Africa.

An overview of NEPAD programmes and projects was presented during the working session, with specific reference made to Natural Resource Governance, Agriculture and Food Security as well as Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). The presentation emphasised on the envisaged plan to build a database with indicators to monitor and analyse the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). The database will focus on agricultural production, (including fisheries and aquaculture), and agricultural inputs, (including fertilizer and water), among other categories. 

Discussions also centred on the CAADP Results Framework which aims to enhance results-based planning and implementation of African agriculture, so as to accelerate economic growth and inclusive development. The Results Framework will produce data on wealth creation, employment and poverty eradication, food and nutrition security and safety nets for vulnerable communities.

On Governance, it was highlighted that APRM’s mandate is to ensure that policies and practices of member states conform to agreed political, economic and corporate governance values, codes and standards and that its process is nationally led, involves stakeholders and is free from political manipulation. It was also noted that to date 34 countries have acceded to the APRM and 17 have been peer-reviewed with 3 countries to undergo a second review.