The Foundation of Africa Union Agenda 2063

Fifty years after the first thirty-three (33) independent African states gathered in Addis Ababa to form the Organization of African Union, now the African Union, the continent is looking ahead towards the next fifty years. Thus, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the OAU, Africa’s political leadership acknowledged past achievements and challenges and rededicated itself to the Pan African vision of “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.”

Agenda 2063, a plan for Africa’s structural transformation, was agreed upon by the African Union Golden Jubilee of May 2013. This is presented in three key documents listed below:

a) A Technical Document that contains the vision for 2063, a comprehensive situational analysis of key issues, the goals, priorities, targets and indicative strategies, as well as proposals on “Making it happen” dealing with implementation, monitoring and evaluation;

b) Agenda 2063 Popular Version – presenting the Agenda in simple terms to facilitate appropriation by the general public; and

c) First 10-year Implementation Plan (2013-2023) which lays out the immediate priorities and is designed to kick-start the journey towards 2063.

The Summit also pledged, through the following Solemn Declaration, to develop and pursue transformational Agenda:

• African Identity and Renaissance,

• The struggle against colonialism and the right to self-determination of people still under colonial rule,

• Integration Agenda,

• Agenda for Social and Economic Development,

• Agenda for Peace and Security,

• Democratic Governance,

• Determining Africa’s Destiny, and

• Africa’s place in the world.

This also builds on the AU Constitutive act, the Declarations, as well as, Regional frameworks. In addition, the process took into cognizance of and reviewed national, regional and existing and past continental frameworks such as PIDA, CAADP and MIP, including Monrovia Declaration, Lagos Plan of Action, Abuja Treaty among others.

Stakeholder Consultations

Preparation of agenda 2063 included an extensive review of the African development experiences, analysis of challenges and opportunities of today as well as a review of national plans, regional and continental frameworks and technical studies. It has been prepared through a consultative process involving a wide range of stakeholders including consultations with the following stakeholders, in addition to web-based:

• Private sector, Nairobi 12-14 September 2013;

• Academia, research institutions and think tanks, Nairobi 16-18 September.

• Planners and Development Specialists, Dakar 27-28 September

• Civil Society Organizations, Dakar 30 September – 2 October

• African Diaspora, New York 8-10 October

Valuable contributions were also received from:

• A High Level Conference of National Planning Bodies in Africa organized by the UNECA and the Institute for Development and Planning in Kigali, Rwanda on 1-2 September 2014;

• Consultation with African Faith Based Groups organized by the Commission on 5-7 November 2014 in Nairobi, Kenya.

• Consultation with Island States held in Victoria, Seychelles on 2-4 December 2014.

• Forum of former African Heads of States and Governments in Johannesburg 10-12 December 2014.

• Consultative and co-ordination meeting of AUC/AfDB/UNECA/NEPAD/RECs – 12 December.

• The Bahir-Dar ministerial follow up committee on the implementation of the Bahir-Dar ministerial retreat on Agenda 2063.

Member States Inputs

• In addition to the initial inputs received from 8 MSs prior to the Malabo Summit (Algeria, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Zambia), inputs have been received from Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, Mozambique, Republic of Congo and the Seychelles, bringing the number of Member States who have made written contributions to 14.

• The Commission also took every available opportunity to make presentations on Agenda 2063 at regular technical and Ministerial Meetings organized by the various Departments.

List of Aspirations Identified

The converging voices of Africans of different backgrounds, including those in the Diaspora have painted a clear picture of what they desire for themselves and the continent in the future. From these converging voices, a common and a shared set of aspirations has emerged:

a) A prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development, where Africa.

b) An integrated continent, politically united, and based on the ideals of Pan Africanism.

c) An Africa of good governance, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law

d) A peaceful and secure Africa.

e) An Africa with a strong cultural identity, Common Heritage, values and ethics.

f) An Africa whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential offered by African People, particularly its women and youth, with well cared for children.

g) Africa as a strong, united, resilient and influential global player and partner

List of Flagship Programs

Agenda 2063 implementation is being jump-started by key flagships identified by the Commission and approved by the AU Policy Organs:

a) Integrated High Speed Train Network;

b) Great Inga Dam;

c) Single African Aviation Market;

d) Outer Space;

e) The Pan African E-Network;

f) Creation of an Annual African Consultative Platform;

g) Establishment of the Virtual University;

h) Free Movement of Persons and the African Passport;

i) The Continental Free Trade Area;

j) Silencing the Guns by 2020;

k) Development of a Commodity Strategy; and

l) Establishment of the African Financial Institutions

Way Forward

Implementation Plan and Domestication

The underlying principles derived from consultations, review of national/regional plans and continental frameworks for the implementation, subsidiarity; accountability and transparency; participation/inclusion; integration; diversity; leveraging existing institutions and systems; and harmonisation of policies and systems.

Agenda 2063 will be implemented through Ten year plans over the 50 year horizon. These ten year plans which will be subsets of the 50 year transformation framework, covering the results framework – goals/priority areas/targets and indicative strategies for the national, regional and continental levels.

It also provides details of implementation, monitoring and evaluation arrangements, financing and partnerships, capacity development and communication strategies required to implement the ten year plan at the national, regional and continental levels.

To ensure wider acceptance and domestication by all concerned, the draft Ten year plan will be subjected to planning experts from RECs and Member States for validation.

Risk Management

Existing and new threats faced by the continent, include scrambles for its resources in the face of changing global demands and demographics; undue external influence in the affairs of the continent; Africa’s disproportionate burden of the impact of climate change; and the huge scale of illicit outflows of African resources and capital.

These threats and challenges can however, be mitigated and turned into opportunities through mounting collective strategies and effective public policy responses and actions to counter the most disruptive economic, social and environmental changes facing Africa. Overcoming risks and addressing fragilities entails two dimensions:

Capacity Building

The AU/NEPAD Capacity Development Strategic Framework (CDSF) provides a holistic African approach to capacity development based on the following key elements of a holistic approach: transformative leadership; citizen transformation; evidence based knowledge and innovation; using African potential skills and resources; capacity of capacity developer; and integrated planning and implementation for results.

Financing

Africa does not only needs funding, but also a more effective and inclusive means of channeling funds (including financial institutions and markets, financial instruments and financial services) to where they can be most effective and where there is market failure in the allocation of the needed resources. Hence, Agenda 2063 financing strategy will be articulated around three dimensions:

a) Domestic resource mobilization

b) Intermediation of resource into investment

c) Access to finance

Communication strategy

In order to ensure successful implementation of the Agenda 2063, a Communication Strategy has been developed. The Communication Strategy will generate sustained public awareness, involvement, support and ownership by the African population of the Agenda and its execution.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The objectives of monitoring and evaluation arrangements are to:

(i) Identify all key stakeholders and assign tasks to be performed by each;

(ii) Ensure that each stakeholder performs the task assigned on a timely basis; and

(iii) Provide the platform for collective execution/attainment of the goals entailed by Agenda 2063.

These stakeholders, guided by the principles of complementarity and subsidiarity, are at three levels: Continental, Regional and National.