Second Continental Report on The Implementation of Agenda 2063

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, African governments have taken decisive measures to control the spread of the virus and mitigate its social and economic impacts. African countries have rolled out ambitious public health interventions, expanded social safety nets, and made monetary and fiscal interventions on an unprecedented scale. Although many countries have been successful in containing the spread of the virus, the social and economic costs have been high. This has exacerbated inequality and vulnerability across the continent. The pandemic has caused fiscal deficits to double and indebtedness to rise sharply, reducing African countries’ capacity to invest in their recovery. Although Africa’s economies are expected to bounce back, the outlook is considerably uncertain and is threatening to undermine the development gains achieved in the attainment of Agenda 2063.

In these unprecedented and uncertain times, the African Union is unwavering in its commitment to realising Agenda 2063 and bringing the continent closer to “The Africa we Want”: An integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, driven by its citizens, and representing a dynamic force in the international arena. Eight years into the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063 (2014 to 2023), the African Union (AU) is assessing progress towards the realisation of the continent’s goals and targets.

In 2019, the African Union Commission (AUC) and African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) were tasked to lead the preparation of biennial progress reports on the five ten-year implementation plans. Subsequently, the AU launched its first continental progress report on Agenda  2063 at the 33rd AU Summit in February 2020. The first report was an evidence-based assessment of progress made by 31 Member States in the domestication and implementation of Agenda 2063 against the expected targets at the time. It served as an important rallying point to strengthen mutual accountability and best practices in the attainment of Agenda 2063. The report was used to inform key decisions during the AU Reforms to strengthen the Union’s efficiency and realign priorities to realise the objectives of Agenda 2063. The substantial confluence of Agenda 2063 goals, the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) High 5s, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) made the report a significant tool to simultaneously track progress and assess performance on both the continental and global development agendas.

This is the Second Continental Progress Report on Agenda 2063. It shows that Agenda 2063 initiatives have gained substantial momentum and underscores Africa’s determination to realise its 50-year development plan. In all, 38 AU Member States have submitted their country-level performance reports. This highlights progress made at the continental, regional, and national levels towards the expected targets in 2021 and the prevailing challenges to achieve a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development.

We invite the African fraternity, our friends, and development partners here and abroad to use this report as a basis for strengthening our collective commitment and accountability towards realising “The Africa We Want.”